There's a Light
by CalamariCool
Summary: Six days, three hours, fifty-two minutes and 19 seconds later, Naruto came back. Lemon in ch 26. Updated frequently!
1. The First Night

The First Night

I hear the first thump of a rock against my bedroom window, but I carry on waiting, working up the nerve to see him.

2… I feel shame, warm and familiar, but hated, rising around me like a visible, tangible thing. I'm too old for this. I shouldn't be scared.

3… I should get it over with once and for all.

4-5-6… One for every day I waited for him. That's enough. So I open the window. Why should I make him wait? It's not his fault. Anyway, my parents might wake up if he carries on like this.

"Shikamaru."

I don't turn on the lights and I wonder if it's because I don't want to attract any attention, or because I know whatever happens between us belongs in the sordid privacy of night. Naruto understands. He didn't come during the day, after all.

He's still outside. Is he scared of me too?

"Come in?" Our faces are very close together and my voice is quiet and questioning. Naruto stares at me for several seconds. I can't make out his expression, because his eyes are bottomless sockets, but there is a visible tension in his jaw that I have rarely seen outside of battle.

"No," he says after a minute, hanging his head. I feel an unexpected sense of loss at his words. I put it all on the line for him. That isn't something I'm known for, but I did it.

"I'm not…"

"Gay. You're not gay. I get it," I finish his sentence more harshly than I meant to and I feel even more embarrassed when he jerks his empty eyes up to meet mine. "Sorry, I just…"

"No," he repeats, "Shikamaru I want…this." My eyes bulge as my hands grip the sill between us, practically reeling, but hopefully invisible despite our proximity.

"You-"

"I'm just not ready."

"Oh."

Another minute passes as we wait for the heaviness of our words to evaporate and float away harmlessly. Then, I can't take it anymore. Things used to be so easy between us. I like easy. I lean my head in the crook of my arm, looking past him, looking at the stars. There are a lot out tonight.

"I'm tired, Naruto."

"I know," he says. His tone is somber, like he is paying witness to some grave event. A funeral, perhaps. "I'm gonna go." I should be happy, but Naruto is turning to leave and I'm more miserable than ever. Even more than the last time I saw him walk away from my window.

"Naruto!" I whisper, before I can stop myself. I raise my head and watch him carefully as his body tenses. He doesn't face me, but he braces his back against my window, just inches away. I am practically touching him and I am only just able to stop myself. I don't want to ask, but I need to know. "Will you come back?"

"Yeah," he says wistfully, pressing his shoulders into the length of my arm. The weight of him is reassuring, stabilizing. I think I might be able to sleep tonight. My other hand hovers around him, not sure where to land.

Before I can work up the nerve to touch him, he's gone.


	2. The Second Night

The Second Night

The very next night, he comes back. I wasn't expecting him so soon, but I had opened the window before getting into bed just the same.

He doesn't climb inside as I hoped he would; he just watches me. I'm not even facing the window, but I can feel his eyes on me. As I lie there, feigning sleep badly, I wonder what he thinks he is doing and whether he will chicken out and leave before saying a word.

"You're awake," his voice barely carries across the room, but I hear the accusation in his tone. I sigh and roll over slowly. It's still dark, but it's a cloudless night and I can see him better in the moon's light.

"Barely," I grumble, realizing at the same time there's not a chance in hell that he'll come any closer. So I get up, lifting myself awkwardly out of my tangled mess of a blanket. He watches my every movement, squinting his eyes against the incomplete darkness, like he thinks I'll attack him or something.

"Wait," he says suddenly when I'm about a foot away. I want to keep going, but I stop instantly. The slightest movement would probably have him running for the hills when he's like this, "Put your shoes on."

He laughs at the noise of indignation I make and for a second, he's the Naruto I know from the daytime. "Okay," I say, deciding to give in despite the ridiculousness of his request. The last thing I need is for the sound of his laughing to wake my parents. Our house isn't exactly small, but I wouldn't call them light sleepers.

I follow him into the night, already making up excuses in my mind for what we would be doing out so late. Just in case anyone sees us, or one of the night watchmen apprehend us. I shouldn't need to tell Naruto that wandering around our village so late is a foolish risk. I shouldn't be following him, but I am.

"Over here" he says, not looking at me; he hasn't since we left my house. He vanishes into the trees without another word. It's so sudden I think that someone has seen us. I pause to scan my surroundings, searching for whatever Chunins might be out patrolling at this late hour. "Are you coming or what?"

"Do I have a choice?" I ask, because he's back now, finally looking at me. Looking at _me_ and I know I don't have a choice before he confirms it with a classically Naruto expression – all grinning and sheepish at the same time. I follow him down to a spot where the river winds through the forest and watch as he sits beside it, takes off his shoes and eases them into the gently flowing water with a sigh of contentment.

"Um…?" I begin. He looks at me expectantly so I join him by the river, sitting a good foot away because I don't want to make him uncomfortable. "Are we out here for any particular reason?"

"Just wanted to talk," he says breezily, but it's a fake overconfidence. I can tell by the way he keeps his eyes trained on his feet when he says it.

"Okay," I say, watching the river, but not really watching it. I'm looking at his face out of the corner of my eye. "What do you want to talk about?" He sighs again, but this time it's a little perturbed, like I'm rushing him.

"Why don't you put your feet in Shikamaru? The water's really warm." He wiggles his toes for emphasis.

"I don't think so…" I tell him, annoyed by his evasiveness. "Are you trying to get picked up by a patrol ninja?" He laughs, kicking his feet in the water in what I consider to be a shameless display of childishness. I get splashed, of course.

"No," he says, when his fit of laughter has subsided, "I'm not trying to get _picked up_ by a _patrol ninja_." My own words, repeated back to me in such a way, bring a scowl to my face. Damnit, I know I'm blushing too. "Don't worry," he says patiently, "They're all near the center of town. Don't you think I would have checked before I brought you here?"

"Either way, I'd like to go to sleep at some point tonight," I insist, studying his face from under my eyelashes as his expression shifts from impish glee back to one of gravity. I wonder if it's always going to be like this.

"Okay," he picks up a twig and toys with it, finally crumpling it with his fist. I watch fixatedly as he opens his palm, spilling the fragments back to the ground. Ashes to ashes. "When did you know you were…you know…into dudes?"

"When did I know I was into dudes," I repeat, stupefied both by the question and his odd phrasing. I'm trying to sound light and airy. I know I'm at least as nervous as him, if not more so. "A few years ago, I guess."

"Oh," he says thoughtfully, weighing my answer against his own thoughts. I'm taken aback when he grins suddenly, stretching out his arm to elbow me playfully in the ribs. "I was wondering," he says, looking at me with big, innocent eyes, "Why my sexy jutsuu never worked on you."

"Grow. Up." I put all the anger I can muster into those two syllables. It isn't much, but it's all I can expect, given how late it is and how little sleep I'm going on. I stare at the opposite riverbank, wondering for the umpteenth time what I'm doing out here.

"Sorry," he sounds nervous again, "I really did want to know. How it was for you, I mean. Because this is new to me."

"It's new to me too," I remind him stonily, "It's not like I…I mean, I've never…" I can't complete the thought, because he chooses that moment to look at me. I can read confusion and pity in his expression, both of which only make me madder. "What?" I ask that expression.

"How do you even know you're gay" he asks quietly, like he's pointing out something I may never have considered, "if you've never even been with a girl?"

"I just knew." The crestfallen look on his face causes my anger to dissipate at once. Poor Naruto, he's so confused. So I amend quickly, "I mean, not right away. I'm not saying it was easy, or that I wasn't worried about what people would think." I wave my hand vaguely toward the village, indicating all the people we grew up with who didn't know; people who might never know, if I could help it.

He doesn't say a word; he lets his silence do the talking. It speaks volumes of our shared confusion and self-loathing and I let it go on as we lie back and stare up at the sky. I realize that the moon is full tonight. If I were superstitious I might take that as some sort of sign, but I'm not.

When he takes my hand and holds it in his own, I let him, slackening my muscles so he can pull it toward himself, placing both hands on top of his chest above his heart. But it isn't a romantic gesture. It's one of friendly, if tentative, support. Not that anyone who happened to see us like that would understand.

I'm practically asleep when he finally says we should go. When he's finished tying his shoes, we proceed up the slight incline, through the trees and back to my house. I don't say anything about how him walking me home like this is a cliché, or that I can find my way back by myself. I can't bring myself to joke with him when he's like this.

I turn to face him once I've climbed in my window and we're suddenly close again. There's an electric current running through my body that would surely turn into a living spark if I touched him. He studies my face for several long minutes as we stand there, one in and one out, straddling the line between love and friendship. I close my eyes when he cups my face in one hand, breathing heavily and wondering where he gets his nerve.

"Thank you," he says softly, brushing his hand over my hair to where it lands on the back of my neck. _For what?_

"You shouldn't be thanking me," I tell him; my eyes flicker open as he rubs my neck softly. My mouth has gone very dry; it's nearly impossible to speak, "I'm just making your life more difficult." He smiles, indicating that this is true.

"Yeah," he admits, kissing me lightly on my forehead, "but it's worth it."

After he leaves, I lay awake for the longest time yet, my face burning and body trembling all over. Who would have guessed that someone like Naruto would ever make me feel this way? Not me, that's for sure. Not with one little kiss to the forehead. My last question echoes in my mind; it's one that I've lately grown used to asking.

"Will you come back?"

"Yeah, Shikamaru. I'll come back."


	3. The Third Night

The Third Night

The third night, Naruto shows up so early that darkness hasn't even fallen.

I'm outside, finishing up with my chores. I have just chopped down a rather stubborn spruce for fire kindling when I see him coming down the road.

I think _'Boy, is he eager'_ and laugh appreciatively to myself. '_One taste and he's back for more, like a fly to a jar of…'_

"I can't stay," is the first thing he says when he gets close enough. Damn him. I look up, wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my arm. I drop the axe and approach him with a stoic expression on my face. I can tell by the cheerful look on _his_ face, that the last thing I want to be right now is armed.

"You shouldn't be here in the first place," I tell him, glancing back at my house, which is perfectly still. I know my parents are inside, though, and that dinner will be ready soon.

"I know, I know," he says, holding up his hands and smiling sheepishly, "Thing is, I just got assigned a super awesome top-secret mission so I probably won't be back for a few days."

"Well…" I'm angry, annoyed and fed-up, but the last thing I want is for him to know how much he can stir me up. "Have fun."

"Fun?" he practically shouts. The look of indignation on his face is the silver lining of a very dark cloud. "Hey! Are you mad at me or something?" I pick up the axe and swing it into the closest tree, grimacing slightly at the impact.

"No," I say childishly, wrestling the axe back and getting in position for the next hit. I'm about to swing again when he grabs my arm. "What are you doing?" I say urgently, but I don't move away or let go of the axe as he embraces me, pinning my arms to my sides. I don't know what he's thinking, but if either one of my parents happened to look out the window they would see us as plain as day. It's kind of exhilarating, to be honest.

"Get off," I hiss, but he holds on even tighter. I can't believe how strong he is for such a little punk. The axe drops harmlessly to the ground in my slackened grip. Before I know what's happening, he's dragging me into the woods and out of sight.

"Are you done yet?" he asks me. It's absolutely infuriating, but I nod. As soon as he lets me go, I cross my arms and glare at him, throwing in an eye roll for good measure.

"Hey, don't be like that, Shikamaru!" he whines, "You know I can't decide what missions I get sent on." I shake my head, not believing him at all. He probably begged to go. It's "super awesome," after all. He wants to get away from me and I know it.

"Sure," I say, turning to go, "See you later, I guess."

"Ha!" he grabs me again. I'm seriously thinking about using my shadow possession jutsuu at this point. It would be only too easy. "You _are_ mad."

"Nicely done, captain obvious," I say sarcastically, "Would you mind letting me go?" He holds on harder, completely ignoring me. I try to shake him off, but I'm tired and my attempts to get loose are half-hearted.

"I'll miss you," he whispers and I freeze. I look at his face and I realize that he's serious. Really, really corny, but serious all the same. "You look," his eyes drift over my shoulders and arms, down to my stomach and back up to my face. He licks his lips nervously before continuing, "really good out there, chopping down that tree. It's kind of _hot_."

It takes everything I've got, but I shove him off me, hard. He lands on his back a few feet away. I don't usually condone violence, but in this case I'll make an exception. I jump on him before he can get up, pinning his feet and hands to the ground with my own. I don't even need to use my jutsuu.

"You think," I growl in his face, "That you can give me a stupid compliment, if that's even what that was, and I won't be angry at you anymore? You think you can tell me that you'll miss me and I just…" I let out a noise of violent exasperation that actually makes him wince and draw away. "I'm not your little _girlfriend_, Naruto."

"Shikamaru!"

We both freeze as we hear the sound of my father's voice. I roll off Naruto and get to my feet with a burst of energy I didn't know I had left. He gets up just as quickly. That's the thing about Naruto – you can knock him down, but you can't expect him to stay there for long.

"Get out of here!" I tell him, still angry, as I jog back toward my house, but I don't look back even once. My dad is standing on the porch and I meet him there. He frowns as he watches me take off my shoes and I know I'm in for it.

"What are you thinking?" he asks, whacking me a smart one on the back of the head, "When you're mother sees that you didn't finish up out here, she's going to be pretty mad."

"I know," I say ruefully. It's entirely Naruto's fault. Much to my dismay, I've been thinking about him all day long. It doesn't exactly help my concentration. Of course, him showing up and dragging me into the woods to tell me how "hot" I am wasn't any better. I blush as I remember the feeling of his hands on my sweat-slicked arms. "Sorry."

"Hey who's that?" my dad asks, ignoring my apology. I was about to go inside, but I look up in time to see Naruto emerging from the tree line right in front of our house. _No. Please God, no._

"Hi Shikamaru!" Naruto yells cheerfully, walking down the road to our house like he just got here, "Hi, Shikamaru's dad."

"That kid's an idiot," my dad mumbles, shaking his head in disbelief, "Is he a friend of yours or something?"

"No. That's Naruto Uzumaki," I explain just as quietly, "We were in the same class at the academy."

"Well what's he doing here?" my dad asks, "At dinnertime, no less."

"Hey!" Naruto walks up the stairs to our porch before I have time to answer. "Long time no see, Shikamaru! How's it going?"

'Uh-huh," I roll my eyes. Does he really think he's _that_ good of an actor? My dad just stares at him for several seconds, but Naruto stands there, looking completely in his element; as if nothing is strange about this situation at all.

"Something sure smells good!" he laughs, rubbing his stomach in a way that makes me want to punch him in the face. My dad and I exchange a look, silently communicating our shared desire to keep him as far from our kitchen table as humanly possible. My dad's not the most hospitable guy in the world and, at the moment, I couldn't be happier about that fact.

"Okay…uh…" he has the decency to look at least a little awkward as he stands there in front of us. Before he can say another word, the door slams open and all three of us jump about a foot in the air.

"Shikaku! Shikamaru!" my mom yells, "Oh there you are." Her voice lowers several hundred decibels when she realizes we're not out in the yard. "Dinner is ready now. And who…?" she trails off as she sees Naruto for the first time.

"Well hi there, Shikamaru's mom!"

She stares at him in much the same way my dad and I are. It's like a face-off between the Nara clan and the hyperactive, completely insane outsider. Naruto, of course, is completely oblivious.

"I was just saying how good that dinner smells. Is it ready? Really? Boy, do you guys have a strong family resemblance! I can see where Shikamaru gets his…" I deepen my glare so much I can practically feel lighting bolts shooting from my eyes. "Uh…ears." He wraps up his monologue with a smile so bright it practically hurts to look at it.

"His…ears?" My mom stares at him incredulously as my dad turns to me and mouths the word _what?_

Out of nowhere, she bursts out laughing and walks back inside. Before she's gone, though, she turns back to me, "Be sure to invite your little friend to join us, Shikamaru. Go wash up first and then come to dinner."

"He's not my friend," I argue to no avail. At the same exact moment, Naruto pushes past my dad and me, still grinning.

"Who are you calling little, Mrs. Shikamaru's mom?" The screen door closes behind him with a resounding bang. In the ensuing silence, my dad turns to me with a look of skeptical shock still on his face.

"This is _you're_ fault," he knocks me on the head again before going inside, leaving me sweaty, red-faced and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I just want to go inside and go to sleep, but it might not do any good because I'm clearly inside some kind of nightmarish alternate reality.

For a split second, I think I could run away and never come back. But what would that really fix? I sigh to no one, brace myself for the ensuing madness, and go inside.


	4. Later That Night

The idea that Naruto was sitting in my living room, chatting up my parents while I got ready for dinner was a bad distraction. I washed my hair with hand soap and it took me far longer than usual to get dressed. As a result, he ended of barging in just as I was fishing a clean shirt out of my drawer.

"Hey what's taking so long?" he stands in the doorway with his arms crossed jauntily; one leg kicked behind the other. I yelp, not manly I know, and pull my shirt on. This just makes him laugh, of course, "Why don't you lock the door when you're getting dressed?"

I hear a bout of laughter from down the hall and try to convince myself that my parents are laughing at something completely unrelated. "It _was_ locked, you knucklehead. You probably broke it."

"Oh yeah," he continues to smirk as I bend down to examine the door. Yep, broken. Thanks a lot for that, Naruto. "I guess I don't know my own strength."

"Just as long as you know mine," I try to say it menacingly, but I'm grinning when I shake my fist in his face. "Come on. Let's get this over with." I say the last part in a much lower voice so it won't reach the kitchen. He flashes me a cheeky smile and a quick peace sign. Oh brother.

"Shikamaru you shouldn't keep guests waiting," my mom scolds me as soon as I enter the kitchen, "Naruto has an important mission."

"Yeah!" he goes to sit at the table in my usual seat. I notice that everything seems slightly askew about our table setting. Naruto probably did it then. It's not bad enough h was out here alone with them, but setting the table? That's too much. "I've got a lot of stuff to do before I leave tonight."

"Such as?" my dad asks bemusedly, glancing up from his work papers – a rare occurrence at family dinners.

"Oh, you know," he says, scooping vegetables onto his plate, "Pack. Clean up my place. Tell pervy sage that I'm leaving. Tell my girlfriend goodbye." It's a good thing Naruto's hogging all the serving plates. If I'd had something in my mouth, there's a good chance I would have choked on it.

"How sweet," said my mom, giving me a weird, calculating look out of the corner of her eye. I try to stay as still, and unobjective, as possible until she looks away. Then I try to think of a way to hurt him without anyone else noticing.

"Sure it is, Mrs. Shikamaru's mom!" Naruto continues, finally passing the trays around, "Only thing is, I think she's mad at me for leaving on a mission in the first place."

"She's just going to miss you, that's all," my mom says, smiling reassuringly at him. My dad scoffs in my general direction. I can't believe it. He's laying on the charm and my mom is just eating it up. Is she serious? She's never this nice to me.

When the plates get passed around I take enough food not to arouse any suspicion, but I can't really eat. For one thing, Naruto is sitting across from me, stuffing his mouth in a way that reminds me forcibly of my friend Chouji. For another, my nerves are so tangled and twisted I can't think straight, let alone use my fork.

Everyone's eating, talking, laughing – everyone but me. I sit there, trying to meditate myself into a state of non-frenzy as Naruto tells my mom and dad about his mission, about his life, about his _girlfriend_. Figures. I let it slip that I don't to be considered as such and he goes out of his way to shove it down my throat. A particularly embarrassing moment occurs when my mom asks if Naruto's girlfriend is pretty. He steals a glance at my scowling face before answering cheekily.

"Pretty? Yeah, I'd say she's got _killer_ looks."

"Shikamaru are you okay?" my mom asks toward the end of our meal. She's looking at me with concern, something I don't see a lot of from her. There's that same calculating look, though, behind the concern. Strangely enough, I almost laugh when I realize that this is how she looks when she's losing to me at shogi.

"Yeah. I'm just tired." I look down at my plate, which I've barely touched. "You know what? I think I might be sick. In fact…" I jump up, seeing my next move before me as clear as day. "I think it might be contagious. _Very_ contagious. I better go get some sleep."

"Wait just a second, Shikamaru," my mom stops me before I've reached the door. Damn. Checkmate. I turn around to see that Naruto is standing. His expression tells me that he thinks he may have gone too far with this. Well, better late than never, I guess. My mom looks back and forth between us with a small, odd smile on her face. "Why don't you go with Naruto back to the village? He came to see you, after all, and you barely got to talk. You can help him pack for his mission."

"Aw, come on!" I regress immediately to a state of childish rage that only she can seem to draw out of me, "I want to go to sleep."

"Shikamaru," she answers in a steely tone, "Go. Now." I look at my dad, but he just shrugs, pushes out his chair and proceeds to gather up the dishes. Boy is he whipped. I can tell he won't be any help.

Minutes later, I'm walking Naruto home, our positions reversed for tonight. We go a fair distance down the tree-lined path; far enough from my home to be well out of earshot. There isn't a sign of a single other living soul in these secluded woods. That's it. My blood is boiling. It's been simmering quietly all day, but now it is really going. I can't hold it in any more. I stop in my tracks and turn to face him slowly. I'm not sure whether I want to hit him or kiss him; both prospects seem equally appealing at this moment. But then I look at him and it all seems to float away.

"I'm sorry," he speaks before I can, "I didn't…"

"This isn't a joke, Naruto," I slouch, my arms falling to my sides helplessly. I really am tired. The fist I had been making uncurls as I allow my muscles to relax.

"I know!"

"So were you just messing with me or something?" I try to glare, but I don't really have the strength to back it up.

"No! Shikamaru I was…"

"Do you hate me that much?" I ask bitterly. He looks at me, absolutely horrified and seemingly unable to answer. "Is this all some sort of plan to get me to…?"

"Shikamaru!" His expression changes from shock to anger so quickly I can't keep up. The kid actually grabs the front of my shirt and all I can do is stand there and let him shout. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence! How can you think I would do something like that to you? You're my friend! I'm sorry about crashing your dinner, okay, but I just wanted to spend some time with you! Is that a crime?"

"No," I say sullenly, willing myself not to flinch away, but to look him squarely in the eyes, "But you said it yourself. We're friends. That's it. Nothing has changed."

"Oh yeah?" he growls. I know what he's going to do a second before he does it and I give into the urge to lean back, getting as far away from him as possible. If this is what I wanted, then why am I so damn scared?

After several long seconds, he pulls away. I'm relieved to see that he's calmed down somewhat, but it's probably just because he's so embarrassed. That's Naruto for you, always jumping in over his head. I actually feel one of my eyelids twitch.

We don't say anything on the way to his house. We don't say anything as I help him pack a mishmash of clothes and weaponry into his grungy old knapsack. It seems that we've reached a silent agreement. He likes me. He won't mess around anymore. I like him. I won't be angry when he inevitably does. But when his bag is packed and his room in reasonable order, exactly ten minutes remaining for him to meet his team at the gate, we finally look at each other.

It occurs to me that we're alone. We're somehow more alone than I've ever felt with him, even more so than when we were sneaking around in the middle of the night. Maybe it's because we're in a house, with his room and, oh man, his _bed_. But I think this house might always have a feeling of emptiness. I wonder vaguely how many times Naruto felt alone here and how sad he must have been.

"Naruto," my voice is so soft I can barely hear it, "I just want to be clear. I have to know that I'm not forcing you into anything here. I'm older than you and the fact is that you don't have anyone to…" He silences me with a look. Hm…If we're constantly cutting each other off, does that count as finishing each other's sentences?

"Shikamaru. I'm going to leave now," his tone is deadly serious but somehow gentle, "So you're going to have to wait for me for a few more days. But when I come back, I'm going to show you just how much I don't want to be friends. Believe it."

I should laugh, or get angry, or _something_, but I just stare at him. I want him to show me.

Naruto, _show me._

For the record, Naruto kisses exactly like he fights. He's aggressive and sloppy, but there's that extra element of intriguing spectacle that always leaves you wanting more.


	5. Naruto Returns

I hate to admit it, but after he left I still found myself thinking about him constantly. Looking for something, _anything_, to keep my mind occupied, I surprised everyone by training the days away. My usual pursuits of long walks and cloud watching are shit when it comes to avoiding Naruto thoughts. The only thing that does it is exhaustion – the purely physical dredging away of all mental activity by a good course of Tai Justsu. At least one good thing came out of it: my parents finally gave me a break from their constant lecturing about my lack of a work ethic. Three days into my personal hell and they would just stare at me over the breakfast table, watching as I gulped down two portions and broke for the door before they could top of their tea.

The thoughts came anyway, at random intervals and with correspondingly random moods. Sometimes, I was scared. I hated being stuck here while he was on a mission, especially one I knew so little about. I should have gotten him to break down and tell me before he left – all the tiny, secret details that would make me more peaceful in my mind, regardless of what they were. It was the not knowing that was difficult. Other times I felt angry. Most often, I was lonely.

It was two weeks before Naruto and his team got back to the village.

"Shikamaru, can we take a break now?" Chouji asks me for the umpteenth time today.

Poor guy. He's a complete mess – sweat running in torrents down his face, which is scrunched up with fatigue…or maybe he's annoyed with me. Yeah, that's probably the case. After all, I've been dragging him into the woods to practice our Tai jutsuu after lunch for the past week and a half.

I give him a quick salute. I want to tell him how much I appreciate all he's done, even though he thinks he's just helping me with my hand-to-hand combat, but I can't. I'm busy wheezing up a lung and wondering when I decided to sit down.

"You look…awful," Chouji laughs, rubbing a spot on his arm where I got in a good jab earlier. "I guess I just have more stamina than you."

"Yeah," I cough and lie all the way down, looking up at the sky. I _am_ exhausted, but I don't want Chouji to know I was out here by myself all morning. He almost blew a casket when I asked him if he wanted to spar everyday after lunch. If I told him I was putting in every morning on top of that, he might just lose it.

A few minutes later, I'm still just catching my breath. I close my eyes, trying to focus on breathing in through my nose and out my mouth. I'm so not used to working this hard and I can't imagine why anyone would. Chouji says something about refilling his canteen in the river and lumbers off before I can ask him to bring some back for me. Oh well, Chouji's a considerate guy so he probably will anyway.

When I hear footsteps coming toward me, I don't even open my eyes. I don't ask myself why Chouji's back so soon or why his steps are so much lighter than usual. I just focus on the air circling through my aching body and the light breeze that dips across my face as it rushes by.

"Guess who?" a pair of warm hands cover my eyes and I hear that familiar, husky voice from close behind me.

_Naruto_.

"Upside down kisses," he says in a singsong voice tinged with laughter. I can sense his head moving slowly down to meet mine. My lips part of their own accord – out of shock, not a desire to kiss. I can feel his breath scalding the tip of my nose. Suddenly, I remember where I am.

BAM. We collide with a sickening noise. Both of us yell out, clutching our respective heads. As my vision clears, I see Naruto sitting on the ground next to me. He lowers his hand and smiles toothily.

"Chouji," I hiss at him, my voice muffled by both hands, which are cradling my throbbing nose (the point of impact in my case).

"Wow, Shikamaru," Naruto eyes me beadily, "I know I've been gone for awhile, but come on! Do I look _anything_ like Chouji?"

"Chouji's here," I whisper, fending off his attempts to get closer with one arm, "He's _here_."

"Oh," he replies thoughtfully as he looks around, "Where is he?"

"Where have _you_ been?" I punch his shoulder but he moves at the last second so the jab barely connects. Well, it worked on Chouji but that was at least an hour ago. Back when I could move without wincing.

"Hey! Naruto!" Chouji calls out from nearby and we both look up to see him emerge from the woods a few feet away.

"Well at least someone's glad to see me," Naruto mutters before turning his attention to Chouji. "How's it going, big guy?"

"Oh, you know. Same old." he grins, bending down. For a second, I think he's going to shake Naruto's hand, which seems oddly grown-up, but he pulls Naruto to his feet and claps him on the back. "Enough about me. How was your mission?"

"Nailed it," Naruto tells him with a thumbs-up.

"And it only took two weeks," I say darkly. Chouji laughs as Naruto seethes with indignation. I touch my nose gingerly; it feels kind of heavy and numb. Great, on top of everything else I'll probably have a killer headache later.

"Hey, are you okay?" Chouji asks me when he's done laughing. I realize that I'm still sitting on the ground so I get to my feet slowly.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," I try to sound as normal as possible, "Why?"

"Your nose is bleeding," he's giving me a weird look, "Did something happen?"

"We kind of bumped heads earlier," Naruto explains, pointing to his own face. His right eye is already starting to puff up a little. I wipe my sleeve across my upper lip and look down. Sure enough, there's a small amount of blood.

"Oh, is that all?" Chouji laughs again. Man, how is he able to goof around like this? Maybe he really does have more stamina than me. "I thought maybe that genius brain of yours finally ruptured or something."

"Shikamaru the genius!" Naruto announces and they both laugh, leaning on each other in a casual way that makes me almost jealous.

"I have to go report to grandma Tsunade," Naruto tells Chouji, rolling his eyes, "Shikamaru, she wants to see you too."

"Really, why?" Chouji asks, looking at with surprise.

"I don't know," Naruto shrugs, "maybe she's looking for someone to play Shogi with."

"Okay, that's enough laughing at my expense," I tell them as they break out in fresh giggles.

Tired as I am, I don't realize that the story about Tsunade wanting to see me was just a ruse until we've left Chouji at Ichiraku's. _Pretty smart, kid. You even fooled me._

"Let's go to my place," Naruto suggests, already heading in that direction.

"Wait," I put my hand on his shoulder, stopping him. For a second we just look at each other. His wide, goofy grin is starting to affect me. I can feel one starting to grow on my own face. "Okay."

We hurry down the street, even though my entire body is aching and practically begging for a shower. A few more people stop us on the way. They greet Naruto warmly and ask about his mission. Jeez, how top-secret could it have been? Seems like he told the whole village. They all give me weird looks as I try and staunch the flow of blood from my nose with my, now probably ruined, jacket.

One by one, Naruto gives them all the same basic answer and brush-off: It was great! I'll tell you all about it later! I start to think I'm going to pass out from blood loss before we make it to his house.

When we finally get there, I collapse on the couch. Naruto bustles around, though, with what I consider a punishable excess of noise. After a short time, he comes over with a cold compress. Because he looks bent on putting the thing on my nose himself, I snatch it from him. He snorts, but lets me have it without a fight. I apply it slowly, realizing with some relief that the bleeding has stopped.

"Ohey," I lean my head back so the compress will balance without my help, "Air er oo?"

"Where was I?" he deciphers, sitting down on the couch's arm. Before I know what he's doing, he maneuvers himself so that his legs are on either side of me. One of them, the one between me and the couch, is digging into my lower back. I glare at him, but he just smiles and motions for me to turn around. When I do, he starts to massage my shoulders before continuing his story.

I replace the compress and lean against him as he tells me about his B-rank escort mission. Apparently, he and his team were protecting the grandson of a feudal lord as he traveled to a celebration in the Land of Wind. What ended up taking so long was, what else, but an attempted assassination.

Despite how tired I am, I find myself listening intently as he describes the attackers (local thugs looking for some ransom money). When he pauses during a recap of how he almost fell off the sheer face of a cliff during the fight, I realize that the hand I had been resting on his knee had tensed up, digging into the skin there.

I loosen my grip, my face growing warm with the embarrassment of being caught worrying over him. What a drag. I can tell he's smiling as he resumes his story.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I must have heard most of Naruto's self-described tale of heroism, because he doesn't seem too put out.

"Finally," is the first thing I hear as I wake up. I'm so disoriented that it takes me several seconds to realize where I am. "No, it wasn't a dream," he smiles, then leans down to kiss my cheek, "I'm really here."

"I hope you weren't watching me sleep," I say groggily.

"Nah," he hands me a towel, "By the way, you smell terrible."

"Thanks," I roll my eyes, but I know it's true. "What's this for?" He just shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips.

"_You're _the genius. Figure it out."


	6. Shogi

Washing my clothes in the tub is such a drag, but I can't very well go home wearing Naruto's clothes. If that wouldn't raise flags, then I don't know what would. Regardless, I take a quick shower and hang my wet clothes up to dry. I feel ridiculous wearing Naruto's sweats and crumby, old t-shirt. When he sees me, he bursts out laughing, which isn't exactly self-affirming.

"So what now?" Naruto asks. The look on his face is priceless; the mocking tilt of his head and the traces of his smile still fading away. It makes me remember why I had been keeping myself so busy all this time. I missed the sound of that laughter.

"Game of Shogi?"

He laughs again and I smile helplessly. I feel like such an idiot around him.

"Shogi it is!" he says, sitting down in his cramped kitchen. I join him, very conscious of the fact that his stupid pants are riding up at the ankles. "But first we have to eat some dinner. I'm starving!"

"Sure, I'm pretty hungry, myself," I tell him. It's true. I've been eating a lot more lately because of my constant training. I could probably still go home and eat dinner after this.

Naruto makes us both instant noodles. Well, I should say that he tries to get _me_ to make them since he "just got back from a mission," but I make it clear it's not going to happen. He makes a big show of boiling the water and adding the noodles like it's some impressive feat. That's Naruto for you.

"It's good," I say, because he won't stop staring at me when I take my first bite. "I mean, it's no Ichiraku's, but it's pretty tasty."

"Don't remind me," he groans, "I haven't eaten there for two weeks."

"Why didn't you get some today?" I study his expression as he takes his time sipping from his bowl. _We were just there._

"Oh…you know," he puts down his bowl, "Chouji was there and everything. And I said we had to go see the Hokage and all. Me and my big mouth."

"You want to go now?" I say, but I really hope he doesn't.

"No!" he grabs the hand that isn't holding my spoon, "I'll get some later. I did that whole thing so we could be alone."

"So we could be alone, so…" my mouth feels dry, "so that…"

_You could kiss me again._

"So that I can…finally beat you at Shogi," he says, a splotch of pink appearing on the apples of his cheeks.

I'm surprised to see that he actually has a Shogi board. As far as I know, he's not much of a player. When I ask him about it, the color on his cheeks reappears and he mumbles something about "picking it up the other day."

I try not to let on how touched I am. This is one of the reasons I've grown to like him so much. I'm proud to call him my comrade, not just because of his obvious talent in the field, but because of his goodness and ability to endear himself to almost anyone. Who wouldn't like him?

We play three games. The entire time, this tension is building between us. Some people say that when you battle someone it's like having a conversation without even opening your mouths. You both reveal everything to each other without being complete aware of it – your ambitions, your character, values, everything. I think the same could be said about Shogi.

Naruto's style is bold, but mildly effective. He loses all three times, but he manages to take down a solid percentage of my pieces with each game. Each time he takes one he chuckles and asks me how it feels to be losing to an amateur like himself. Then he inevitably loses and I tell him I _never_ lose, no matter whom I'm playing against.

When I start setting up the barely-used board for a fourth game, he stops me.

"Wait," he says nervously, "Don't you want to… I mean…"

"Yes," I agree so quickly that he grins at me. "I mean… we could do that, I guess."

The Shogi board is between us on the couch. He moves it to the table and scoots closer. As he does so, several of the pieces get knocked off the board. I watch a pawn fall to the table as if it were in slow motion.

We start to kiss slowly, awkwardly. Neither one of has much experience. I've only ever kissed a handful of girls, never a guy. I don't think Naruto has kissed anyone else at all. Unless you count Sasuke, that is.

I start to laugh, so I break the kiss.

"It isn't that funny," he says defensively, frowning a little.

"Hey!" I'm so astonished that he guessed, I stop laughing, "How did you even know I was thinking about that?"

"It was _obvious_," he rolls his eyes to the ceiling and then back to me. "It wasn't even really a kiss. It was a…"

I signal for him to shut-up by bringing my lips to his. Everything around me becomes sort of blurry as we fall into rhythm with each other. Slowly I lie down, bringing him with me to the worn cushions.

"Can I…?" he asks tentatively. He barely pulls away to speak so that his lips brush mine with each syllable. When I nod, he slides both hands up the back of my shirt. The feeling is so different from the way he massaged my back earlier. It's more intimate, in a way, and so much softer.

_Naruto kissing me_. My brain turns over and I moan softly against him. _Naruto touching me, tickling my lower back as he runs his tongue over the roof of my mouth._

The tension between us builds to a new high as we move together. His hands continue to roam my back, occasionally coming around to the front. The muscles in my stomach knit together in sudden twitches as he runs his fingers lightly over them. My own hands land on the nape of his neck and play with the fine blonde hairs. We speak in disjointed phrases, strung together with kisses and sighs.

"Can you believe…?" he mumbles

"No"

"This whole time…"

"I know"

When it starts to get dark, I tell Naruto I should leave. Half an hour later, I finally pry myself out from under him. _Where does he get his energy?_ I drag myself to the bathroom and put on my, still damp, clothes. _Great._ As I pull on my shirt, I catch Naruto peering around the edge of the open door. When I see him, he disappears, but I can hear him snickering just outside.

"I'm…glad you're back," I say softly and he's beside me, pulling me into a hug.

Half an hour after that, I leave Naruto's house.

When I get home, my mom and dad have already eaten when I get home. _Damn_.

"Shikamaru! Where have you been?" My mom jumps on me the second I get inside.

"Hanging out with Chouji!" I tell her, inching away. I don't want her to get a good look at me because I'm pretty sure my lips are all red and my hair doing God knows what.

"We eat dinner as a family," she says, turning back to her book, "I don't feel inclined to make you anything, since you couldn't bother to be on time."

"Sorry," I tell her. In situations like these, the best tactical move is always to apologize; or so I've learned through experience and many a talk with my dad.

"Go to your room."

I can't help but mutter as I go down the hall.

"Gladly."

It doesn't matter. I fall asleep almost at once, thinking of only one thing – the time, not long after we graduated for the first time. It was the day that Asuma had pulled me aside for a talk…

"Your training is going to be _much_ tougher than anything you've gone through so far. It's going to be difficult on everyone, not just you."

"What a drag," I yawn and he shakes his head. As if remembering something he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lone cigarette, put it to his lips and lights it with a practiced motion.

"Shikamaru," he insists, exhaling a gust of smoke, "You need to show more motivation. I've seen your grades and I think you could do a lot better."

"I graduated, didn't I?" I point out coldly.

"Yeah, but still," he says, "Let's just say Naruto isn't the only one who barely scraped by."

"Oh, come one sensei. Now you're just making me feel bad."

"That's another one I'm worried about," he said gruffly, "I don't know if passing him was the right move."

"I think it was," I say firmly. He looks up at me with surprise and I flinch a little, and then smile. "Aren't I always beating you in Shogi? I think Naruto is like a horse. Their moves are so bizarre compared to the rest of the pieces, sure, but I wouldn't want to go into battle without them."

"Right," agrees Asuma with a laugh tinged with bitterness, "You know, that's one of your best qualities. You always believe in your friends. Some people never manage it their whole lives. It's something the two of you have in common."

"Me and Naruto?" I look at him, genuinely surprised, "The only thing we have in common is that we're both losers." He laughs quietly. The look on his face annoys me. It's that of a grown-up trying to explain something to an exasperated child.

"I don't know," he says gruffly, "I think you might be underestimating the kid. I want you to keep an eye out for him. If I'm lucky, some of his crazy energy might rub off on you. Then maybe you'll stop underestimating yourself, too."

"Yeah, yeah," I agree because it's too much of a pain to argue with him, but I can't help but add, "It's not like I have time to baby-sit."

"Just do what you can," he chuckles, still with that annoying, smug look on his face, "I get the feeling he doesn't need a lot of help, but he's still reckless. If you're ever in the position to back him up, do it."

"We'll see."

"Yeah. We will."


	7. Discoveries

When I was little, maybe three years old, I was very sick. I was a weak baby from the beginning and I caught some rare disease on top of that. The doctor who was attending to me told my parents to prepare for the worst. He said I might not have enough "fighting spirit" to pull through.

I don't remember much of it. I guess it's a good thing that I don't. Like anybody else, most of the things that happened to me at that time are a blur. I can't, for instance, remember the pain. All I remember is the oppressive heat of that fever and the torture of hanging onto a body that no longer felt like my own.

People usually give credit to the medical staff for healing me, but I've also heard, among close family, that it was my dad who saved my life. He found the cure in one of the countless archives of village medicine our family keeps and rushed it to the hospital, or so the story goes. To be honest, I can't imagine my dad rushing to do anything.

Anyway, I scraped by like I do with every other thing in my life.

Compared with mine, Naruto's life story is definitely the one worth telling. My parents told me all about it because they knew I could keep my mouth shut, unlike certain people my age. I've learned more about it since then, from him.

Over the next few days, I learned a lot about Naruto.

I like to think that at least some of the things I found out were secrets. How could anyone else know, for example, the noise he makes when someone bites his ear? Well, come to think of it… he's been in some pretty strange fights with some seriously strange people. _Gaara_ might know.

Then again, it's not like I was ignorant going into this. I've been watching him for a long time. I'm a lazy guy, but Naruto impresses me. Ever since graduation, he's been getting stronger. The fact that he came back from his recent mission without any injuries alone proves it.

Yeah, he's strong all right, but what's really impressive is his stamina.

"Naruto…can we…please, take a break?" I struggle to catch my breath, "I'm going to pass out, kid. I'm….serious…this time."

"Come on!" Naruto whines _again_, "Just a little more!"

"We've been at it for three hours!" I stay out of his range as my breathing and heart rate return to normal.

"Three hours?" he looks at the timer in his pocket, as if I can't be trusted, and then puts it away, "Well, time flies when you're training!"

"For _you_, maybe" I manage before collapsing into a pile of what used to be Shikamaru.

"Hey! I didn't say this training session was over."

I'm having trouble forming words, or thoughts for that matter, so I flip him the bird. _Damn his bright orange uniform. Can't it see I'm trying to get some sleep?_

"Okay," he giggles, dropping his tough trainer act, "It's over." I groan with annoyance as he drops to his knees beside me.

"What's that for?"

I smile stupidly, all-too-aware of the sweat running down my face and what an idiot I must look like. He looks at me for a second, not getting it, then he laughs. I can feel his body next to mine, even though we're not touching, even with my eyes closed.

"Couldn't bear the thought, huh?" he asks, leaning over me, "Not that I blame you for it."

With the last energy I have left, I punch him in the arm.

"Ow!" he elbows me in the stomach, but I'm too tired to retaliate, "Listen. I know what you're thinking. You wish you never told me that you were training with Chouji while I was gone because then I wouldn't have come up with my amazing plan to make you… you, know. Amazing!"

Hm… I guess I have a little strength left after all. I punch him again.

"Ow!"

"You know I'm thinking that because I've been saying it for three days."

He lies down next to me, finally showing the signs of at least mild fatigue by yawning.

"I guess it's nice to take a break, sometimes."

"Now you're getting it."

After we've gathered up some energy, we begin the long trek home. It's about four, so there are people milling around town and working, respectively. On the way, we end up running into none other than Rock Lee. This guy's always managed to creep me out a little, what with the way he dresses and those bushy eyebrows, but I know he's pretty close with Naruto so I try not to look too put out when the guy comes over to say hi.

"Hello Naruto. Hello Shikamaru."

As usual, his formal tone is just about the opposite of my lazy drawl. Naruto greets him enthusiastically, drowning out my more casual "Hey."

"I can see from your faces that you have been training mercilessly," he bows slightly and I exchange a dubious look with Naruto, "I commend you for your dedication."

"Thanks, I guess. We –"

"But I cannot believe you did not invite me!"

We finally manage to leave Lee behind, after promising that we would include him in our next training session.

"Which will be never," I add under my breath as we walk away. Luckily, neither one of them hears me.

When Naruto and I part ways on the outskirts of the main town, he looks around quickly. There are several people close by – a group of old women, and a little girl and boy eating ice cream.

"See you tonight," he says after a minute, so softly I can barely hear him.

"I know, I know," I smile and walk away. Behind me, I can hear him doing the same. A second later, we both look over our shoulders. I can't see his expression, but as I watch, he punches his hand up in salute and then turns and struts away.

I'm in plenty of time for dinner; we planned it that way. Naruto and I would train all day long (his idea), go home for dinner and meet up after that (mutual idea).

I shower, change my clothes and get to the kitchen just in time to be stuck setting the table. _Great_. At least they can't say I was late.

My mom is standing at the stove, adding spices to whatever miso we're having tonight "Shikamaru, you're hardly ever around anymore. Where have you been all day?"

"_Training_," I put the last dish down with a little more noise than I intended and she whips around, raising a ladle in the air like a weapon. "Sorry."

"You expect me to believe you've been training all day?" she turns back to the stove, "Shikaku, do you believe this?"

"It's such a drag, but I have to look over these formulas," he says, shuffling the papers in front of himself importantly, "Shikamaru, stop bothering your mother."

"Oh, nevermind," my mom says impatiently, "Let's just eat the dinner I slaved over and forget about answering my perfectly reasonable questions."

"I _was_ training," I say plainly, taking a bowl from the cupboard.

She still looks doubtfully at me as she gives me a portion of the soup. "Why the sudden change in attitude? You've never worked this hard before. Am I right, Shikaku?"

"Yes, dear," my dad mumbles, not looking up from his work.

"I'm trying to improve my Tai jutsu," I tell her, because it's true enough. I've always been a little weak in it. I guess hand-to-hand combat isn't really my style. "The Chunin exams aren't that far away."

I think my answer will finally put her questions to rest, but she spends the entire meal grilling me anyway. Who are you training with? (Chouji) Where are you training? (The woods) What do you do for lunch? (Ramen) How do you pay for it? (My allowance) Did you even wear a jacket when you left this morning (Um…)

Anyway, I scraped by like I do with every other thing in my life.

Naruto is kissing me before I can finish opening the window. It's not easy, but I manage to latch it, freeing my arms. Instead of stopping him, because I should (because this is _insane_), my hands go to his hair and I pull him closer, deepening the kiss.

I don't seem to have a lot of self-control these days. I blame the training. This is obviously what happens when I exert myself all day long. By the end of the day, I don't have anything left. And then, there's Naruto. _Naruto Uzumaki._

"In our out?" he breathes. I shudder with pleasure, unable to speak. "Shikamaru?" he chuckles, "Get a hold of yourself."

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Come in?"

I step back from the window, allowing him to climb inside. He does so without a word.

It really is the best decision – to stay in I mean. Logically, we're less likely to get caught because the entire village is patrolled every night and it's not as if the ninjas entrusted with the safety of our village take their duty lightly.

Still, I don't want to be overheard, so I stuff a few towels around the door. It's a crude barrier, but I think it should do the job well enough. When I turn back around, Naruto's perched on the edge of my bed, looking nervous. I can feel my face start to heat up as I walk over to him. As I pass my lamp, I turn it off, casting the room into total darkness. When I finally stumble my way over to the bed, Naruto kicks my feet out from under me in one swift movement and I land next him.

It's hard to be quiet, when he's gotten so good at kissing me. Naruto's a fast learner, that's for sure. Like I said, he's aggressive, bordering on animalistic. I'm usually pretty lazy, but he keeps me on my toes no matter what we're doing.

We're so young and inexperienced, but that only makes it better. As Rock Lee always says, we're in the prime of our youth and enjoying every minute of it. I squirm as Naruto kisses the side of my neck, slobbering all over the skin there. Wait… Why am I thinking about Rock Lee? Is it because we saw him earlier? Oh man, this is the worst possible time to think about that bushy-browed, green jumpsuit wearing…

_Rock Lee?_

I push Naruto off me and jump off the bed, dodging behind my dresser. He follows me and when he gets close enough, I can read shocked hurt in his expression. Well, there's no time for that now.

"Rock Lee is outside," I tell him, bracing myself for an explosion.

"Rock Lee? Here? What does he want? How did he know we…? What?" he says in a panicked half-whisper, half-scream.

"I don't know what he's doing here," I respond in a similar fashion, "He's never been to my house before. He must have followed _you_."

"We have to talk to him," he says gravely, as if he's saying we have to kill the guy.

"We have to _hide_," I argue, pulling him back into the shadows by the scruff of his shirt.

"He knows we're here if he followed us."

_Hm. Good point._

"Damnit. What are we going to do?"

"He's our friend," Naruto puts his arm around my shoulder, "He wouldn't do anything to hurt us."

"Stop. He's right outside." His arm falls to his side. I shrug, crack my back and straighten my hair. "Okay. Let's go, I guess."


	8. The Power of Youth

Naruto climbs out the window first and I follow reluctantly, my brain spewing an unrelenting loop of anxiety that boils down to one simple message.

_This is bad. This is bad. This is so bad._

Whatever Rock Lee's doing here, it can't be anything good. That's for sure. _Okay, so he followed Naruto. At night. To my house. Where he probably saw us…_

"Lee!" Naruto and I pause a few yards from the house. "Come on out already, we know you're there!"

"Maybe I was imagining things," I say quietly, trying to convince myself as much as him. "Maybe…"

"So you have discovered my presence," Lee's voice comes from nowhere, "Then again, I expected nothing less from such formidable opponents."

Naruto and I shift our positions so that we're standing closely, facing outward with our backs almost touching. It's a habit, I guess. I don't even have to think about it. It's natural to adopt a defensive position when your enemy is attacking or about to attack.

A green blur comes at us suddenly. In the split-second it seems to take Lee to reach us, I have enough time to realize that he's aiming for me. _Why me? Why is it always me?_

"Leaf Hurri–"

"Lee!" Naruto pushes me aside before the kick can connect. I'm still falling to the ground when I see Naruto receive a cruel blow to his ribs.

"Naruto?" Lee stops his assault, probably realizing that we have no intention whatsoever of fighting back. Naruto sputters and gasps, clutching his stomach. _That could have been me_. All I can do is stare into space, wondering when my life got so God damn complicated. "Um…Shikamaru?"

I get to my feet and help Naruto to his. He's a little shaky but he seems okay, so I turn my attention to our assailant.

"What are you doing?" I say, "And try to keep it down. My parents are in there."

"I thought…" he looks back and forth between us. "I followed Naruto because I thought he was going to do some more training tonight."

"Bushy brow!" Naruto flies at Lee, causing them to both tumble to the ground.

"Ah! So it _is_ a fight you want!" Lee leaps to his feet with astonishing speed. Naruto gets to his feet much more slowly. Before it can lead to anything worse, I jump between them, holding my arms up to stop any potential attacks. If they even so much as think about making a move, I'll whip out my shadow possession jutsu. I don't even care that I barely have enough chakra left.

"My parents are in there," I hiss, "Can you guys keep it down?"

"You are not training?" Lee asks us, looking really put out by this new information.

"Of course not. Who trains at night?" I ask him as Naruto simply glares.

"Guy sensei"

"Right. Listen, Lee. We need to talk to you. So…" I look at Naruto, who seems to remember the situation we're currently in. "You followed Naruto from his house to my house because you thought he was going to go train. Then when you got here you…"

"I thought my best option would be to initiate a surprise attack."

"Yeah," I agree without even considering what he's saying, "and when you saw Naruto go to my window you…"

"I hid, of course!" he says, "That was one of the first lessons we learned as ninja."

"Duh," Naruto adds unhelpfully, "So did you…uh…see anything…um…out of the ordinary?" _Gee thanks, Naruto. That was really slick._

Lee ponders for a moment, before saying, "Well there was this one thing, but…" He starts to laugh softly, looking down at his feet. "It must have been a trick of the light."

_What light?_ I shake my head, completely lost for a response.

Naruto, though, really shows how relieved he is by dropping his anger about Lee's surprise attack. He put his arm around Lee's shoulders in a fatherly sort of way.

"That's the thing about tricks of the light. Sometimes you see them and sometimes you don't. Sometimes they're there and sometimes they're not. It's best not to question it."

"But if you aren't here to train, then why are you here?"

I can feel my body stiffening as the smile on Naruto's face becomes a little clenched, a little less sincere.

"That was another question in case you didn't notice," Naruto tells Lee, dropping his arm.

"We were playing Shogi," I offer the first excuse that comes to mind.

"Then why…" Lee's voice trails off. I can practically see him thinking and it almost looks painful. "Why did you turn the lights off?"

"Because we saw you and we wanted to hide," Naruto tells him.

"Oh," Lee nods, "People are always doing that. But why did you hide if we weren't going to fight?"

After way too many similar questions, Lee finally leaves. We probably wouldn't have ever gotten rid of him if Naruto hadn't told him that Kiba said something about looking for a fight earlier. Poor, gullible Lee. He's going to be so disappointed. For several minutes, Naruto and I just stand there, absorbing what happened.

"See you tomorrow," I say dazedly, turning back to my house. I'm so far beyond being able to deal with any of this.

Naruto catches my wrist with one hand so I can't move forward without struggling.

"Wait," he says quietly, "I'm sorry. It's my fault he followed me here. I should have been watching more carefully, but I –"

"It's okay," I cut him off, facing him with a resigned expression. "I need to go to sleep. I just _really_ need to go to sleep."

"Wait!" he grabs my other arm even though I haven't made a move. I look longingly at the open window to my room. We're not on the same side of the house as my parent's room, which is a good thing. All of that commotion would have definitely woken them up.

Naruto doesn't say anything. He sits down and I'm too tired to resist when he pulls me along with him. It's so beautiful out and the grass is so soft that I think I could just sleep here.

As we lay side by side, I notice that he's massaging one of his ribs. I feel a pang of guilt, even though it's not like I asked him to stop Lee from kicking me.

"Sorry," I mumble, putting one of my hands on that spot.

"I'm such a hero," he says, rolling his eyes. "Why do I always have to do that?"

We grin at each other. Finally, the tension of almost being caught starts to leave us and we're able to really calm down. As we do, I start to remember what we'd been doing just before we were interrupted.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Naruto asks nervously. I've moved my hand from his ribs to the zipper of his jacket. Wordlessly, I pull it down, exposing the t-shirt underneath.

"You'll see," I tell him, because I really don't feel like saying I haven't got a clue in hell as to what I'm doing.

"_Shikamaru?_" Naruto raises his eyes to meet mine and we simply look at each other for a minute. When he seems calm enough, I raise his shirt with one hand, just enough to uncover the spot where Lee kicked him. The skin is red and I can tell a bruise will form in the next couple of days. I wince sympathetically before bending down and placing a kiss there.

When I look back up, Naruto is gazing at me incredulously. There's something else, too. Before I can figure out what it is, he pushes me onto my back and leans over me. When he kisses me, it's rougher than before, almost possessive. I put my hands on either side of his face, forgetting how tired I am.

We can't seem to get close enough to each other, even when he climbs on top of me, pressing the length of his body into my own.

"I can't..." he says after a while, "I can't…explain it. I just…want to…"

I feel his body trembling against mine as he kisses me. He doesn't need to explain himself, because I feel the same way. I can't stop. I can't think. I tug at the arm of his jacket and he breaks the kiss just long enough to help me take it off and fling it aside. When that's taken care of, I slip my hands up the back of his shirt, pulling him even closer. He moans and tiny goosebumps start to form on my arms.

Occupied as we are, the snap of a twig in the distance is enough to send us running for cover. Giggling like mad, Naruto follows me into my room. To get him to be quiet as much as anything else, I press my mouth against his own. It's _very_ effective. We manage to get to my bed, where we kiss until we're too tired to move. After that, we just lay there, curled up side by side.

Even though I know Naruto should leave, even though I tell him again and again that he should, he doesn't. And I don't want him to.


	9. A Scent of Danger

(Hi! Quick author's note before we get started. I just want to thank everyone who's read my story so far, and especially those of you who left reviews. Storylover158 – Thanks so much for all the reviews. I loved your ideas – don't be surprised if you see something similar pop up in later chapters. ;) Kashi1797 – Nobody has ever quoted me back to me before :) I was really inspired by your kind compliments. 19sumayyah80 – I'm glad you find it interesting! It's always good to get feedback, so thank you. Reviewers rule and that goes double for people who review my stories. I'm going to work really hard to keep making this story better and I hope you all continue to read it. Hugs!)

A Scent of Danger

Waking up was never an event of any significance until I woke up next to Naruto Uzumaki.

He's sound asleep, wrapped around me as greedily as if I were one of the bowls of ramen that inevitably show up in his dreams. If I make even the slightest move, I know that I'll wake him. It's something I need to do before the unthinkable happens and one of my parents barges into my room. I haven't forgotten that Naruto broke the lock on my door and what a vulnerable position we're in because of it.

But instead of waking him, I just lie there, analyzing everything that has happened since this _thing_ between us started. The word that comes to mind is careless. I've become so careless lately. I used to think things through, a hundred moves ahead if necessary, but not these days. Lee almost saw Naruto and me kissing and if that ever happened… well, I don't want to think about what might have been. I _should_ think about it. Considering every possible outcome of a situation is so basic. It's how I've been making decisions for years and, if I say so myself, usually the right ones. Not anymore.

I've been dropping my guard all over the place and in front of all of the people with the power to ruin my life forever simply by rejecting me. It's so out of line with my usual, go with the flow attitude that I'm having trouble figuring it out. In the meantime, I need to be vigilant. I'll lose everything if I'm not and that includes _him_.

"Shi…Shika…"

_Is he?_ I look down at his face, which is nestled against my shoulder. No, he isn't dreaming about me, he's actually waking up. Well that's good, I guess. It's not as if I wanted to watch him sleep or anything. The sooner he gets out of here the better, because we can always see each other later, once things have calmed down some.

"Where…?" he looks at me and then around my room, blinking stupidly. "Oh."

For the first time in a while, he looks timid. It's not something I'm used to reading in his expression since he's usually so damn cocky. There's a light dusting of color in his cheeks and his eyes still have the unfocused look of recent sleep as his gaze floats down to my lips and back to meet my eyes.

"Morning," he says shyly.

"You have to go," I tell him. My arms, which are wrapped tightly around him, don't even budge. _He has to go_, I tell myself.

"I know," he says, moving closer if anything. He closes his eyes and lays his head on my shoulder again.

I couldn't go back to sleep if I wanted to, but Naruto looks like he's about to. What is it with him? Maybe he hasn't realized how risky our behavior has been or maybe he's just as reckless as I thought. Either way, I'm the voice of reason and it's my responsibility to get him to go home before we're discovered.

I crane my neck to look down at him. His eyes are still shut, but there's a light smile playing on his lips. I can feel his breath on my neck, burning the skin there slightly. There's no other word for it. Even with those piercing blue eyes closed, he's still so beautiful. Lying next to him like this, I've never felt more peaceful, or more afraid, in my entire life.

"Shikamaru!"

Naruto's eyes snap open and we stare at each other in pure terror.

"Was that…?"

"Go," I tell him firmly, jumping out of my bed. I can hear footsteps coming down the hallway. _Get it together. Get it together._

Naruto jumps out the window as I throw the blanket over my bed with one hand and try to fix my hair and clothes with the other. By the time my mom gets to the door and starts to knock, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so I take one last look around my room for any signs of Naruto's presence before opening the door.

"Oh, good. You're awake." She says, giving me what I consider to be a very suspicious look. "There's someone here to see you."

"Really?" _Who would come to my house this early in the morning?_ "Who is it?"

She doesn't answer me right away, but peers over my shoulder nosily. "I hope you didn't have that window open all night."

"I didn't. Who's here?"

"That boy who never goes anywhere without his dog. And I don't mind saying that little mutt is making a mess of my carpet, which I just cleaned, in case you didn't notice."

"Who? Kiba or his dog?"

I think it's pretty funny, but she doesn't even crack a smile. Instead, she takes one last look around my room and then turns to me with a sigh.

"Would you mind talking to your friend outside? I guess I'll have to clean that carpet again. I don't suppose anyone else is going to help me with that."

"Right," I follow her down the hall and I'm very careful not to let her see me roll my eyes at her back.

"Hey Kiba," I lead him outside, closing the door behind us and sitting on the steps. Kiba and Akamaru follow me, but in lieu of sitting down, he chooses to stand in front of me. Fine. I never really imagined I'd have the upper hand in this conversation anyway.

"Naruto."

I wait for him to say something else, but since it seems he won't elaborate, I have no choice but to answer him.

"What about him?" I look up at Kiba, squinting slightly against the early morning light.

"What do _you _think?" he replies unhelpfully. For the first time, I realize that Kiba looks a little angry. It takes me a few seconds, but I finally get it.

"So I guess Lee caught up with you last night, huh?"

"Bingo," he growls, "There I am, taking Akamaru for a nice nighttime stroll and that crazy guy comes out of nowhere and attacks me. And what's more, he said Naruto told him to do it."

"Right." I shake my head ruefully. _Damn. _It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time but I didn't think about what would happen if Lee actually found Kiba that late at night.

"So is he here or what?"

I carefully disguise any outward signs of dishonesty before saying, "Why would he be here?"

Kiba laughs and, to my horror, pulls Naruto's jacket out from underneath his own.

_What do I do? What the hell am I going to say?_

"He probably just left it here to throw you off the scent," I tell him, folding my hands so they don't make _that_ gesture. I can't let Kiba know how much brainpower this conversation is taking or he'll be sure to see right through me.

"Maybe," he says doubtfully, looking down at the bright orange jacket in his hand. "Well if he thinks that's going to stop us, he's got another thing coming. Right, Akamaru?"

When Akamaru doesn't bark in response as he usually does, we both look around to see where he went.

"He's probably around back," Kiba tells me, "That's where we tracked Naruto's scent. His jacket was just lying on the ground so I figured I might as well come in and see if you were hiding him or something."

"Why would I…" I sputter in disbelief, "Why would I hide him?"

"_Come on_" Kiba starts walking toward the backyard and I have no choice but to follow him as he continues to talk over his shoulder, "You're always saving his sorry butt. Remember that time he skipped out early on training and you told Iruka sensei that the Hokage gave him special permission to miss class so he could help him with something? What was it again?"

"I don't remember," I say slowly, wondering where Kiba's going with this. I hope to God he's just talking to talk, like he usually does.

"He's not here either," Kiba says as we round the corner of my house, "Akamaru!"

My stomach drops as I hear Akamaru barking from inside my room.

"What are you doing in there, boy?" Kiba asks, "Come on out. You can't just go barging into people's houses like that. Sorry, Shikamaru."

"No problem," I say weakly as we approach my open window.

The sight of Akamaru sniffing circles around my bed is almost too much for me. I can feel my face blanche and it takes everything I've got not to run screaming.

"_Akamaru_," Kiba says in a scolding tone and his meddling pup finally jumps out my window. Before either of us can react, Akamaru runs off, probably in pursuit of Naruto.

Kiba starts to follow, but turns back to me as if just remembering something.

"Yeah?" I say, fully suspecting that he'll ask me why Naruto's scent is on my bed of all places.

"Give this back to Naruto when you see him, will ya?" he throws me Naruto's jacket and I catch it awkwardly with one hand.

"What?"

"I'm going to give him a break this time. If it ever happens again, though…" he punches one of his hands with the other. "You just tell him he got lucky."

"What makes you think I'll see him before you?"

He smiles widely. I think it's a strange response for such a reasonable question, but Kiba's always been a little strange.

"Just a hunch," he says, his smile getting even bigger. "Anyway, see ya later."

As I watch Kiba run off after Akamaru, howling with laughter, I can't help but feel that my life is about to get even more complicated. I look down at the jacket in my hands, which are shaking slightly. Without even thinking, I raise it to my nose and inhale deeply.

_Naruto…_

_What the hell are we going to do now?_


	10. Mission Nonoptional

(Thank you so much to anyone who chooses to review. Compliments and criticisms can both help me make this story better, so write whatever you feel)

Mission Non-optional

Through an unspoken agreement, Naruto and I steer clear of each other the rest of the day. Whether or not he knows Kiba was at my house is a mystery at this point; so is whatever's going to happen next in the parade of minor catastrophies.

I spend the morning reading a book on tai jutsu from the enormous collection my father keeps. It calms my nerves and helps me take my mind off my Naruto problem, and this business with Kiba. I don't know why I picked this particular book. Maybe I've spent so long pretending to be trying to improve my tai jutsu that I've actually started doing it. Either way you slice it, practicing with Chouji these past weeks, and now with Naruto, has done the job. My speed is better; so is my hand-to-hand combat. And after all that, all that work, for what? What a waste of time.

Strangely enough, the Hokage sends for me later in the day. On my way there, I put Naruto's jacket on the back of a stool at Ichiraku's – when no one is looking, of course. He'll find in there at some point and in the meantime, it won't be look out of place.

I see Chouji immediately as I approach the Hokage's mansion. He's headed up the stairs ahead of me and I call out to him so we can walk together. Finally, someone normal to talk to; in other words, someone completely out of the loop.

"Hey! Shikamaru!" he says as I catch up to him, "You have gotten faster!"

"Not that much," I reply, self-consciously stuffing my hands into my pockets. We keep walking up the stairs, both looking ahead, lost in our own thoughts.

After a minute I ask him "Do you know what Lady Tsunade wants with us?"

"Extra barbeque sauce and an order of noodles," he replies, licking his lips and gazing into space.

"What was that?" I ask him, laughing. It seems to startle him out of whatever fantasy he was lost in.

"Sorry Shikamaru," he grins, "All that extra training's been messing with my eating schedule. I'm glad we're taking a break now that… I mean…now that we've trained enough."

I'm saved from answering because we're at the door to the Hokage's office. I just nod and pull it open.

Ino's already in there, along with Lady Tsunade.

"It's about time the two of you showed your faces," she whispers to me as Chouji and I join her.

"Don't look at me, I just got the message," I shoot back. _Give me a break._ _Women are always getting angry over the stupidest things._

"Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji," Lady Tsunade snaps from behind her desk. The sound of her voice, even more bossy and grating than my mom's, puts an end to our side conversation at once. "I have a C ranked message I want your team to handle. Do you think you're up to the job?"

"A C ranked mission?" Ino replies. By the tone of her voice, I can tell she's happy about it. _Why?_

"Yes," Lady Tsunade replies gravely, "What's more, I'm afraid you'll have to do this one without Asuma. He's out on a mission at the moment and this came up very suddenly. It's urgent, but I wouldn't send you out there alone if I didn't think you could pull it off."

"Aren't there any Chunin available?"

The fifth wheels around and growls at me, "Shikamaru, I've never met anyone like you when it comes to shirking your duties."

Chouji lets out a small, nervous laugh and I look over at him.

"Duties? Really?"

"Yeah" he replies, putting a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. _Sure, he doesn't want to risk getting the same treatment as me._

"Shikamaru are you listening–!"

"Okay, okay!" I agree before she can really get going. I can already tell this mission is going to be a drag, but it would be worse if I made her angry. _And_ we would still have to go on the mission.

"What is the mission, Madame Hokage?" Ino asks nervously. Lady Tsunade continues to glare at us for a few seconds before answering her more gently.

"The mission is to capture a group of prisoners who went missing recently from our village. They aren't ninja so it shouldn't be too difficult. However, that is no reason to underestimate them. There are three targets and each one is facing a sentence of no less than ten years. So, you can imagine how desperate they are to avoid being recaptured."

"Do we have any idea where they're headed? And can you tell me anything specific about their fighting styles or weaknesses?"

"Always thinking a hundred steps ahead, hm?" Lady Tsunade asks me, smiling for the first time since I walked in, "I knew I could count on you three."

After giving us all the details she can, Lady Tsunade sends us on our way.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen," Chouji says conversationally, as he pulls out a bag of chips and rips the seal.

"This is no time to be eating!" Ino yells, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, "We don't have any time to waste if we're going to catch those prisoners!"

While Ino's busy scolding and Chouji's laughing and stuffing his face, I look over their heads. Naruto is there, partially hidden from sight by the courtyard wall. I can see him peering out at me. My eyes widen in shock for a split second and then I force my expression to remain neutral. Luckily, neither Ino nor Chouji seems to notice. _How did he know I would be here?_

Naruto is wearing his jacket again. I can tell it's the one I left at Ichiraku's because it's all scuffed up from being left outside on the ground all night. He looks like he wants to talk to me, but I don't see how we could work that out without arousing suspicion. I guess we'll just have to leave it like this until I…

"Hey guys! How's it going?" Naruto walks up to us, smiling brightly.

_Or he could just do that._

"We don't have time to talk to you!" Ino screeches, rounding on him. Behind her back, Chouji makes a 'she's crazy' gesture at me. "Come on, Team Ino. Let's go!"

"We've got a mission," Chouji tells Naruto, offering him the bag of chips.

Naruto takes one and smiles in surprise. "Thanks Chouji! What kind of mission?" He's trying to be discrete, but his eyes, which keep darting back to me, don't exactly match his lighthearted grin.

"Some civilian prisoners escaped," I tell him, "and we have to go alone because Asuma sensei is off on another mission."

"Oh," he replies slowly, "Well…it's nothing you guys can't handle."

"You got that right!" Chouji agrees enthusiastically while Ino just stands there looking impatient.

"Right," I say, as I nod and meet his gaze for exactly one second.

As we turn to leave, Naruto calls after us, "How many prisoners was it again? Maybe I should go with you guys!"

"No," I say flatly, not at all amused by his display of gallantry.

"No!" Ino answers at the exact same time, but in a much ruder way. "Now come on, guys!. This mission is my chance to prove myself as a Genin. I can't stand it how Sakura's always showing me up these days"

She heads off in the direction the prisoners were last seen and Chouji and I have no choice but to follow. I fall behind. Chouji raises his eyebrow at me as he assumes the left side of our triangle formation, but doesn't say anything.

As we go, I look over my shoulder at Naruto one last time. His expression is full of meaning that I almost lose my footing. I can read worry there. I wish I could talk to him for just a few seconds but it's just impossible. He looks like he's holding himself back from doing or saying anything incriminating in front of Ino and Chouji. _So it seems he's learned a little self-control. Maybe he's maturing after all._

After that, I have to turn my attention back to the front. Not only for my safety, but in case Chouji or Ino happens to look back at me looking back at Naruto. But to my surprise and embarrassment, I see that Chouji is watching me. He meets my eyes and grins.

"We're going to get those prisoners back in no time," he tells me confidently, "And we'll be back before we know it."

"I know," I say, trying to glean some hidden meaning from what he's saying. _This _is where my paranoia has gotten me. I even think my best friend is onto my little secret.

"That's not the right attitude to have, Chouji!" Ino calls back to us, "This is the first mission we've ever done without Asuma sensei and we have to show the Hokage that we're capable of handling things ourselves."

"Nah, let's just get this over with," I mutter to Chouji and he grains back at me.

"You got it"


	11. Formation  Ino, Shika, Cho!

"Shikamaru!" I hear Chouji call out from somewhere in back of me, "Wait up for a minute!"

I land on the branch of a tree and squat there, impatiently catching my breath and waiting for my comrades to reach me. When they do, I see they're exhausted, worn out. This mission has turned out to be far more troublesome than we originally thought. How could three lowlife criminals disguise their presence so well? It's embarrassing, is what it is.

We can't dismiss the possibility these men received help from outside.

But who in their right minds would want to set them free? _It's such a pointless act of bravado._

Ino catches up last, slumping against the tree's trunk in a way that is still, somehow, utterly feminine. After a minute, she looks up and meets my gaze, "Yeah I was wondering about that too."

I can't help but grin. Years and years of teamwork have put us perfectly in sync. I don't even need to tell these guys what I'm thinking anymore. It's like having really specific e.s.p. An asset in battle, to be sure. It's what makes our team so great.

"Wondering what?"

_Chouji_. I roll my eyes and Ino slaps her sweating forehead with her palm.

"Just tell me," Chouji laughs, completely used to our reactions by now.

"We can't rule out the idea that this is some kind of trap," I tell him as Ino nods in agreement. "The prisoners could just be a diversion."

What is that old proverb? A man who never made a mistake never made anything. Yeah, that's the one. Still, I wouldn't mind being that guy. Sounds like a pretty nice life to me.

My guess about a trap came too late. In the next moment, we're already in their grasp, dangling like helpless flies in a spider's web. Not literally, of course. The three of us stand motionless, side-by-side, as a single tremor rolls along the ground and through our bodies.

"It's some kind of body-numbing jutsuu!" I yell to my teammates. The last thing I hear is Ino's scream of half horror, half outrage and Chouji's shout of 'What the f-' before the jutsu takes hold of us completely, rendering us dumb.

_How could I be so stupid?_

_How could I allow myself to become do distracted? What kind of person am I turning into? Where is careful Shikamaru?_

_Focus._

_My body is numb. I am incapable of movement. _I try to flex my fingers and toes in vain. _What a drag. I can't speak. Is this their game? Paralyze us with their jutsu and then slaughter us where we stand? Not very noble, that's for sure, but formidable. This isn't going like I thought it would at all._

"Release!"

"Ino…"

"Shikamaru!" Ino's face fades in and out as I make the transition back to reality, "I can't believe you didn't realize it was genjutsu."

"Believe it," I say, my words slurring together from the lingering effects of the genjutsu. It sounds more like "Be-hee id" I shake my head and get to my feet, gradually coming back to my senses.

"Release!"

_Guess Chouji got caught in it too. That makes me feel a little better. But, damn it anyway._

"Pull back," I tell them, working my mouth furiously to get the words out. Their jutsu is strong, to have such a lasting effect. The three of us jump from tree to tree, putting distance between our enemy and ourselves.

"What was that tremor?" Ino asks as we run full out. Meanwhile, I'm analyzing the pathetic amount of information we have and trying to come up with a halfway decent plan of counterattack.

"The genjutsu is sound based," I explain. Ino and Chouji draw closer to me so I can give them my assessment. "That tremor we felt was actually a sound wave. My guess is they hid out of sight and sent that sound wave our way, using the ground beneath us as a conductor."

"So what's the plan?"

"This is far enough," I tell them. The three of us land in a hollow between two trees. "We need something to plug our ears with. Hurry, look around."

I glance wildly around the woods, looking for something, _anything_, that would work. This is our best chance, maybe our only chance, of gaining an upper hand on our enemy.

"Um…"

Chouji and I both look at Ino, who stares at her feet, color coming into her face in angry red blotches.

"What's wrong?" Chouji asks with concern.

"I have… something that would work," she mumbles, still not looking at us.

"Well let's have it, Ino!" I tell her. _Why does she hesitate?_

"Here," Ino says, shoving a small item into either one of our hands. Chouji and I exchange an incredulous look before unwrapping them.

"Ino!" Chouji starts to laugh at once, looking down at the thing in his hand, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Shut up!" Ino screeches, "We don't have time for vulgar jokes, big bones."

"Who's vulgar?" Chouji asks, tearing what Ino had given him in half and stuffing the two ends into his ears.

"We're going to be the laughing stock of the Leaf," I say sadly, doing the same.

_What happens in team ten stays in team ten_, as we always say, holding up our right hands in solemn vow. It's something we've been saying a lot lately, what with all of the embarrassing situations we get into.

"Resume triangle formation. I'll go in first and get them with my jutsu. Ino, come in after me and hit them with yours. Then, Chouji, I want you to back us up. You come in last and knock them all to hell."

No answer.

I groan and we all pull the… lady's items out of our ears so I can repeat the entire plan.

"The trick is going to be finding them all at once. There could be one guy, sure, but we have no idea how many there actually are. Our only advantage at this point is well… let's just go."

"Right," they agree and we turn to face the enemy. Looking like complete idiots.

We don't have to look long before we find them. I signal Ino and Chouji to hold up while I try to find out what we're dealing with. They nod and hide behind a large tree and beneath an overhang, respectively.

About six yards in front of me are four men. They're looking around, probably for us. _Ha_. _They're overconfident in their genjutsu._ I recognize three of the men as the escaped prisoners from the photos Lady Tsunade showed me before we left, but the fourth man is an unknown. He's probably the one who cast the jutsu. _Unless…someone else is hiding out of sight._

_Oh well. Only one way to find out._

"Where are those brats?" one of the prisoners asks the fourth man, "I thought they were caught in the genjutsu."

"Shut up, idiot. You talk to much." He answers in a way that suggests he's been putting up with a lot from this guy, "Talk anymore and I'll kill you where you stand." Another tremor runs through the ground, with that man as it's focal point. _So he's the one_.

"What was…? Watch out!" the scrawny prisoner yells suddenly, jumping a foot in the air and then running out of range of my jutsu. _Damn it. At least I got the rest._

"What the hell is this?" the loud-mouthed prisoner spits at the leader, who merely looks around for his captor. _Might as well face them and count on my team to take care of the other guy._

"Shadow possession jutsu a… well, a partial success," I say, emerging from behind a tree, "Now we just have to track down your comrade. Shouldn't be too…"

"Shikamaru, above you!"

"Partial expansion jutsu! Right arm!"

As the prisoner who escaped my jutsu attacks from above me, Chouji's hand swallows him up in the nick of time. I roll to my left, avoiding his massive arm while still managing to keep a hold on the others.

"You can let him go now, Chouji," I tell him when I've caught all of our enemies with my shadow possession jutsu. He does so and his arm returns to normal. My teammates catch up with me where I stand, observing the three prisoners and the extra man.

"You idiots!" the boss roars at the others, "This is all your fault. If you weren't so incompetent…"

The scrawny prisoner just looks at us in disbelief. He's probably wondering how he and his friends got caught by three jounin. "What on earth do you have in your ears?"

"Oh," I pull both ends out of my ears and shove them in my pocket, "Don't worry about it. That's a leaf village secret."

Even Ino laughs as we all exchange a look. "Now to get these losers back to the village. I'll stay on the leader. Chouji, can you get two of them? Ino…you know what to do."

"No problem," Chouji agrees. Both of his arms inflate this time and he snatches two of the prisoners from the group.

"On it!" Ino says, making her signature hand sign, "Mind transfer jutsu."

I hear the familiar whistling sound as her jutsu takes effect. I release her captive from my shadow and Ino walks over to her own body and picks it up.

"Ino, that's too weird," Chouji tells her happily, holding both prisoners high above his head with his massive arms.

"Oh yeah. You're one to talk. Really, Chouji."

The sight of her high-pitched voice emanating from this muscled thug almost makes me lose control of my jutsu. "No more talking," I tell them, meaning no more _fighting_. "Let's get going before we run out of chakra."

"But you will run out of chakra," the boss tells me, struggling fruitlessly against my jutsu as I lead him away, back to the village, "and when you do, it will be our turn to attack."


	12. Tactics of Distraction

It's understandable that the prisoners we caught would be somewhat _put out_ about being captured by a few inexperienced Genin. However, it was hardly necessary for them to carry on a relentless stream of taunts and insults the entire trip back.

"Shut-up!" the bulky ninja roars in Ino's voice. Great. It's not as if what these guys are saying is throwing me off enough. Now I have to deal with Ino too. I feel a drop of sweat run down my temple and the low ache in my arms intensifies slightly as I redouble my efforts to hold my captor.

"They're trying to…" I wince, "distract us, Ino. Just calm down and don't respond."

"His girlfriend!" she continues in hearty annoyance, "Of all the ridiculous…grr!"

"Uh-oh," the ninja I'm controlling chuckles darkly, "I think I made your little girlfriend mad. But she doesn't seem to like you too much, does she?"

"Shut up!" the three of us yell together.

It's difficult enough just to maneuver our prisoners through the woods. We're using chakra at such a rate that we'll be completely wiped out by the time we get back to the village. It's enough to make me want to just knock these guys out and be done with it.

"Almost there," Chouji tells us placidly. I look over my shoulder to see him lagging behind with his two captives. _He's been awfully quiet all this way._ He barely even reacted when one of the men he was holding called him 'porky,' although he did tighten his grasp on him to the point where speech was impossible. Since then, the remaining guy has been focusing on me, the skinny weakling.

"Come on, kid," my prisoner says snidely. He's walking ahead of me so I can't see his expression, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to. "Don't tell me you never thought about…oof!" With one jerk of my head, his own slams into a nearby tree.

"Sorry about that," I tell him in a fake-polite tone. "Were you saying something?"

"Nice one, Shikamaru," Chouji laughs from behind me.

"Geez!" the man rages, "You got something against blondes or what?"

Since he doesn't even have the luxury of being able to shake is own head to clear it, I decide to ignore him. We're about five minutes away from the village when someone else comes running out of the woods to our right. If it hadn't been so clumsy, I would have thought it was an attempt at an ambush by some previously unseen enemy. But it's not a good for nothing thug stampeding toward us...well, not in so many words.

"Where have you been?" Naruto asks, eying our bizarre traveling party, "I was…"

"Not you again!" the Ino-prisoner shrieks, turning on him. As she does so, her own body flops weirdly and her head lolls to the side. Naruto stares at the pair for a second and then grins and shakes his head.

"Hey Shikamaru," Naruto says, falling into step next to me instead, "Is it just me or does Ino look particularly _nice_ today?"

"That's _it_!"

Naruto, Chouji, the three remaining captives watch as Ino storms off ahead. So she finally reached her limit, huh? Now if only Naruto weren't here, things would go a lot more smoothly.

"You won't be getting any tonight, kid!" my prisoner jeers unpleasantly.

_One blow to the head. One blow to the head should do it._

"Won't be getting any what tonight?" Naruto asks conversationally, his eyes on the man's back. The only answer is a torrent of nasty laughter. "Hey! Don't laugh at me!"

"Naruto just ignore him," I hiss the same admonition I've been using on Ino for the past half hour. For a minute, I think he's going to actually listen to me and back off, but I guess it's just not in him to let something like that go.

"I asked you a question!" Naruto insists, going to walk next to my prisoner.

"I said," the man pauses, probably wondering whether it's in his best interest to answer some crazy kid's question, "I said your friend here isn't going to be _getting any_ tonight."

My face starts to heat up as Chouji laughs again and Naruto continues to stare at the loudmouth. We walk in silence and I'm watching Naruto the whole time – every time he takes a step, every time he licks his lips and looks over at the other man like he's going to say something, before looking forward again and moving on.

"Hey kid," my captive breaks the silence after a few minutes, "Would you mind keeping your eyes up front? You're giving my neck one hell of a bad time."

It takes what feels like a century, but what may have actually only been ten minutes, to reach to Hokage's office. It takes even longer to explain why we've shown up _late_ with one more prisoner than expected, but she tells us she'll look into the guy's background and that we're free to go.

As the prisoners are escorted out of Lady Tsunade's office, Naruto pops up once again. To everyone's surprise, he runs directly up to the loudmouth ninja and sticks his finger in his face.

"The only thing you're getting tonight is arrested!"

Ino and I share an incredulous look as Chouji bursts out giggling once again. Well that about figures; he's always had a bordering-on-vulgar sense of humor. Luckily, a few Chunin lead the prisoner away before he can rise to Naruto's belated comeback, leaving the four of us in the hallway.

When they're gone, Ino turns to me with her arms crossed. _This can't be good_.

"That mission couldn't have gone any worse," Ino whines, "At this rate I'm never going to get a chance to prove myself."

"We got them didn't we?" Chouji comes to my defense as Naruto looks back and forth between us. "In my book, that's a successful mission. Now how about we grab a bite? You know, to celebrate. Naruto you can come too, if you aren't doing anything else tonight."

But, instead of going out to eat, we go our separate ways. Ino grumbles something about not being in the mood to celebrate and heads home. Chouji tries to convince us to join him for a victory meal, but I remind him that his mom will be mad if he keeps spending so much money eating out, so he decides to call it a night too.

And then there were two.

"So..." Naruto asks me once we're finally alone again, "What was that all about?"

I shrug, "I don't know. I think Ino's just been down lately because we always end up making idiots out of ourselves on… what?"

"No, not that," Naruto says, grinning at our little miscommunication, "I meant with that guy."

"Oh," I'm careful not to say too much, just enough to answer him so we can move on without any more questions, "He was saying something about Ino being my girlfriend."

"Ha!" Naruto barks out one loud laugh, "So where are we going anyway?"

"I don't care," I admit, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension and soreness.

"Then we'll go somewhere…secret," he says, winking at me conspiratorially, "When do you have to be home?"

"Dinner, but what…?"

"You'll see," he says with an air of finality.

I follow Naruto, like I always do; like a meek little puppy begging for scraps of food and attention. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for myself, but then _he's_ there, walking in front of me and providing the incentive I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. We walk like this, out and away from town, toward the north.

_Somewhere secret_. Well, that's for sure. I don't even know where he's going; that's how much of a secret this place is. Then again, he's probably just looking for somewhere secluded where we won't be spotted by anyone. I feel the heat in my face return as I watch his shoulders move up and down with each step he takes.

Naruto turns to me and smiles, like he can feel my eyes on his back. _Beautiful_.

"We're here," he says softly. I peer beyond the rocks which surround a small clearing. In one corner someone, presumably Naruto, has lain out a thick, comfortable looking blanket. I feel my mouth go as numb as it did when I was in the grip of the paralysis jutsu.

He goes to sit, like a child, on the blanket and I follow him even though my legs no longer seem to want to respond to my brain's wishes.

"Are you serious, kid?" I ask him, reverting back to my old name for him, "You put this here?"

"I know," he scratches the back of head self-consciously, "Well how about it?"

We crawl slowly toward each other and meet in the middle of the blanket. I stare at him. His head is bowed, shoulders peeking upward as his arms support his upper body; his eyes are dark and lusty. Then, something comes over me and I grab the back of his head, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

This time, I lean over him and it's a position I'm not used to – one of dominance and aggression. Still, it's exciting. Our lips meet again and again and I'm surprised as ever by the suppleness of his mouth. For a little knuckleheaded kid, he sure can kiss.

"Shikamaru," he breathes, before pushing me onto my back and resuming his usual stance. "I want to give you something."

I try to silence him, but he holds me down so my lips can't reach his.

"Give me something?" I repeat slowly. He's got a smug little grin on his face that worries me. "What is it?"

"You'll see," he says, grabbing both of my hands. _Oh man. Is that his new catchphrase or something?_

As I try to staunch the flow of questions in my mind, Naruto puts both of my arms above my head and lays them on the blanket. He puts his face next to my ear and whispers, "You might want to hang on."

I don't have a clue what he's talking about, but I don't move my arms when he releases them. I just stare at him in pure wonder as he puts one leg on either side of my body. He's light enough that the sensation of him on top of me isn't uncomfortable, nor is it unpleasant. _But what does he want to give me?_

He lowers his mouth to my neck and starts to kiss along my throat. I squirm beneath him, instantly forgetting whatever he was just talking about. I start to raise my arms so that I can pull him closer, but he stops instantly. Grinning impishly, he forces them back to the ground.

"Don't. Move."

I shudder all over as he whispers in my ear. _Don't move? Don't move. Don't move._

Without warning, he rolls his hips against me once.

"Naruto!" I cry out in shock as I feel something stir. "What?"

His face is inches away from my own and he's staring at me intently, waiting for a reaction.

"Do you want me to do it again?"

"No...yes," I throw my head back as another wave of pleasure courses through my entire body, "N-Naruto. What are you doing to me?"

"Come on," he says huskily, "Don't tell me a… smart guy like you can't… figure it out."

His words are punctuated as he rolls his hips again and again.

"What is this feeling?" I ask reverently as my hands clasp and unclasp the blanket beneath me.

"Don't tell me…" he pauses to look at me in confusion, "That you've never done this."

I shake my head weakly, concentrating on the weight of him, wondering if he'll move again.

"Not even by yourself?" he asks, looking even more confused than ever. When I shake my head again, wondering what the hell he's talking about, his face clears and he looks down at me with a smile worthy of a demon.

"Are you in for it," he says lowly. I can't respond as he moves against me again. There's too much pressure and I feel swallowed up by it. Pressure from Naruto, lying on top of me. Pressure moving lower, moving through my body.

As his movements become quicker and more sporadic, his hands reach up to cover mine and push them deeper into the blanket. He returns his attention to my neck, this time sucking on the skin hungrily. My limbs seem to seize up at random as all faculty of thought drains out of me. I only know that this is Naruto, causing me this unbearable pleasure and all I want is more.

So I demand more, meeting him thrust for thrust and kiss for kiss, as the sensations coursing through my body become even stronger.

_If I'd known, if I'd only known about this, I would have told you so much sooner, Naruto._

"Shikamaru," he breathes. "Let go."


	13. Thinking about you

"Shikamaru?"

"Naruto, for the last time, I'm not asking you what that was. I _know_ what it was. It doesn't mean, just because I never –"

"No, that's not it," he says, smiling in a way that makes me want to roll my eyes and kiss him at the same time (an interesting prospect). "Don't you think… I don't know. Do you think this is going kind of fast?"

I have to laugh at that one, "Whose fault is it?"

I stop walking because he stops. Why is that? Good luck figuring it out, because I never could and probably never will.

"Yours," he answers seriously, "but I don't think _fault_ is the right word."

"What's the right word?"

"There is no _word_, Shikamaru," he says superiorly, "I'm just saying that this is my first… whatever this is… with another guy."

Part of me wants to say 'Really?' and work up an air of fake surprise just to tick him off, but that part loses out. Instead, I hug him. He's got this way of acting particularly tough or nonchalant when he's feeling insecure. I've known him long enough to find that out.

"Me too," I whisper, "Hey Naruto, about earlier…thanks."

"You already said that," he pulls away just enough to make sure I see him smiling. "Speaking of earlier, I can't believe you never did that before."

"Naruto, I –"

"I mean _never_?"

"_Naruto_," I say warningly, "You don't have to rub it in."

"I think I do," he retorts, "I mean unless _you're_ going to do it, and that doesn't seem likely."

"We're almost there," I tell him, because I'm not about to dignify his double-entendre with a direct response. I start walking again and he joins me after a few seconds.

"If you did do it," he continues, seemingly not thrown off by my lack of interest in the subject, "You could think about me, right?"

"Think about you?" I repeat, looking over at him as we walk.

"Yeah," he says eagerly, a light blush climbing its way across his face, "If you wanted to."

When I don't answer right away, he sighs and looks at his feet, "Nevermind. Forget it."

The suggestion he's making isn't lost on me, and neither is the hidden implication behind his words. _So when he's…_

"You think about me," I say softly.

"I didn't say that"

His evasive tone, and the way he won't meet my gaze, only confirm my suspicions.

"But you do, don't you?" I ask him.

Naruto laughs uneasily, caught in his own game, "I don't know. Maybe."

"Oh"

We walk along in mutually silent embarrassment for a few more minutes before I get the nerve to say anything else.

"Well," I clear my throat awkwardly, "I could try that, I guess."

Neither one of us says another word until we get within sight of my house. As planned, we say our goodbyes here. It wouldn't do any good to have him walk me to my window tonight as we usually do. For one thing, it's closed. For another, it's only going to make my parents suspicious if I mysteriously show up for dinner without ever walking in the front door.

"So…" I begin. I was going to say 'See you later,' but when I see his expression I can't finish my sentence. His eyes are half-lidded and the blush from earlier is back with such a vengeance that he looks feverish.

"Are you okay?" I say instead, watching him bite his lip uncertainly.

"Remember when you… at the end, I mean, when you said my name?"

"_Naruto_"

He hears me, but ignores my warning tone. "Yeah, like that. Except it was more like…" He puts his mouth next to my ear and says his own name with bordering-on-obscene desperation.

"What about it?" I ask him, almost afraid to know the answer, and starting to blush on top of it.

"I'm going to think about it," he says recklessly, "Tonight."

He leaves me with those parting words and a kiss that almost makes me late for dinner, in spite of how careful we were to stop that from happening.

If I thought things seemed surreal before now, I was wrong. My normal life never seemed as artificial as when I join my parents in the kitchen.

"What's on your mind, Shikamaru?" my mom asks, handing me a plate of rice noodles.

"N-… huh? Nothing."

After dinner and, if I'm honest, all through dinner as well, I can't take my mind off Naruto. Naruto eating dinner at home, or maybe Ichiraku's. Naruto taking a shower and changing into a grungy old pair of sweats and a worn out t-shirt.

_Is he thinking about me now?_

Somewhere in between getting and bed and actually falling asleep, I'm struck with a bizarre idea. It's one of those random, fleeting thoughts that hit you when you're mind is most susceptible to idiocy, but I might do it anyway. I want to go back to that secret spot Naruto took me to and… I don't know… carve a heart into a tree with my kunai or something stupid like that.

_Naruto, I… I mean, I think I… oh, nevermind._

_((Hey! Sorry this chapter is so short. It's really just supposed to be an interlude kind of thing in between the other chapters. Anyway, thanks for reading and thank you reviewers. All of your comments really help me keep going with this story, so thanks very much. :D))_


	14. Words, words, words

I must have gone to sleep at some point; when I open my eyes light is already filtering through the blinds. I say 'already' because it seems like my head touched my pillow seconds ago. On the other hand, perception isn't always reality. Judging by that light, it's past ten at the earliest.

The first thing I do is cross over to the window, with slow graceless movements typically exhibited by the undead, and jerk the blinds open. I'm hit by the light with such sudden intensity that I sort of reel in place, hanging onto the blinds' string for dear life. For me, this is the equivalent of a cold morning shower; it's a shock to my system that prepares me for whatever's to come. I'm not usually so masochistic, but it's kind of a habit at this point.

As soon as I can open my eyes all the way without wincing, I see a slip of paper wedged in the bottom of my window from the outside. _So, Naruto left me a note, did he?_ With an eagerness that embarrasses me, I pull the window open and make a grab for the note. No such luck. My reflexes simply won't cooperate and it falls to the ground outside my room.

It's too much work and it probably won't be worth it, but I climb outside to retrieve the paper. It's fallen in such a way that it's propped up by the wall. With an aggravated sigh, I bend down and pick it up. Before I stand upright again, though, I notice something. I probably never would have seen it if this slip of paper hadn't fallen right on top of it because it's almost undetectable.

Carved into the very bottom of the wall are the letters N and S.

_When did he…?_ I trace the letters with my finger, feeling a little lightheaded. _Did he come over last night?_

I get so wrapped up in my inner monologue that it takes me a few minutes to remember the note in my hand. I unfold it slowly, savoring the feeling and sound of the paper crinkling against my palm. _Naruto touched this. Naruto wrote on this._ Finally I get it open and when I do, I'm just plain confused. And maybe a little disappointed. Okay, more than a little.

It's from Ino.

_Shikamaru_

_I need to talk to you about our mission. It's URGENT. Come see me first thing in the morning._

_Ino_

I read it twice and then crumple it up in annoyance. I climb back in my window and start to mentally prepare myself for the day. _I've got no choice_, I think, as I pull my pants on. If I ignore the summons and avoid her all day (if that's even possible), she'll just hunt me down later and then she'll be even madder.

Urgent? Ha. I take my time getting ready, washing my face, brushing my teeth and finally checking the clock. Hmm… only nine thirty. Not at all bad by my standards.

As I grab a quick breakfast and say an even quicker 'good morning' to my parents, I try to think about Ino's reasons for going to such lengths to see me. So the mission didn't go as well as it could have. So what? It's like Chouji said – we got our men, didn't we? Lady Tsunade certainly didn't seem upset. We even managed to capture an extra guy, and he was the ringleader, by the looks of it. Knowing Ino, she probably has some crazy reason for wanting to rehash the mission. Maybe she lost an earring in the scuffle and wants me to go help her find it. Yeah, it's possible, knowing her.

When I get to Ino's family's shop, there are a few customers perusing the rows of plants and freshly cut flowers. Ino's up front, manning the counter, but something about her seems off. She's got a funny, sort of thoughtful, look on her face. She isn't even paying the slightest bit of attention to the customers. _Maybe something really is wrong._ I feel a tiny pang of guilt about taking my sweet time getting here.

I slip inside and hide behind several large potted plants so I can observe her and take several deep, calming breaths. When I feel as ready as I'll ever be, I finally approach her. I take my time approaching her because I know what she tells me won't be good. Not judging by her solemn expression, anyway.

"Hey Ino. You wanted to see me?" I ask tentatively, when I get close enough to the counter.

"Oh," she looks up at me and it seems to take a moment for her to completely emerge from her thoughts, "Shikamaru! I've been waiting all morning!"

"It's still morning," I argue. "It's not even lunchtime yet. But, here's an idea. Let's skip the pleasantries and you can just tell me what I did wrong."

"_Shikamaru_," she says my name in the exact tone I use when I'm scolding Naruto. I just hope I don't sound as annoying as her. The sound of her voice is seriously grating, especially this early in the morning.

"Can we talk? I can go on a break in about ten minutes. Will you wait for me outside?" Ino continues.

"Well…" I hesitate as her face begins to show signs up impending rage, "I'll meet you at Ichiraku's."

I cut our little chat short by making my move for the exit, but I still hear her call after me.

"Why Ichiraku's of all places?"

Why, indeed. _Naruto_ might be there having an early lunch. It's the perfect thing, just what I need this morning. Even if I can't be alone with him I want to see him. I want to look into his blue eyes and say "Hey how's it going, kid?" or "Off to eat some ramen, Naruto?"

Naruto, Naruto, _Naruto_.

"Naruto!"

"Shikamaru! Hey!"

_Don't look so happy_, I tell myself as I walk up to the Leaf's holy temple of all things ramen (according to the guy in front of me, at any rate).

"How's it going?" I ask him, taking the seat on his right. "No thanks, I'm good."

"You aren't ordering anything?" Naruto and the owner exchange a dubious look.

"I'm meeting Ino here," I tell them and their expressions clear, "Don't ask me why she picked it."

"Some people happen to like our food," the owner snaps, nodding his head in Naruto's direction.

"More than like! Love!" Naruto confirms, going back to his ramen. _So, I'm less important to him than a bowl of ramen now?_

"Actually can I get some iced tea?" I pull out my money and count it. Yeah, I've got more than enough. I could even by two if I…

I glance up to see Naruto looking at me with that puppy-dog expression. It's just sad to see someone his age pull out an old kid trick like that. Still, it's hard to say no to it.

"Make it two iced teas," I sigh and fork over most of the money I have on me. Oh well, it's not like I was going to buy anything else with it. It's kind of nice, in a way to treat Naruto to something.

When the owner brings our drinks over to us, he smiles.

"A good friend is always willing to treat his friends to a cup of tea. That's a saying back where I come from. You two must be good friends, if there's any truth in it."

"Yeah," says Naruto, grinning at me. "We go way back, old man. Shikamaru's been my friend for a long time. Hey, Shikamaru, remember that day in the back woods."

The old man turns his attention to me, but I hardly notice.

"Who told you it was me?" I ask Naruto, genuinely surprised.

Back at the academy, a couple of dumb kids told Naruto to bring back an souvenir from the corpses of recently defeated enemy ninja. They said he could be in their group if he did it. Back then, Naruto was so desperate for attention that he actually bought into it. Not that I blame him, of course. Anyway, I was the one who told Iruka sensei. Luckily, he and Kakashi were able to fend off the reinforcements. If they hadn't gone…Naruto could have _died_.

"Chouji told me. Thanks, by the way," he says simply, returning to his ramen once again.

I take long drink so I can avoid smiling like an idiot. I'd almost forgotten about that incident and, until this moment, had no idea Naruto knew about it.

"Friendship's important," the owner sums up sagely, "We're all each other have in this world and don't you kids forget it."


	15. Who Knows?

REVIEWS PLEASE! :D

Who Knows?

When Ino arrives, twenty minutes later, I reluctantly follow her out of Ichiraku's and down the street. I graciously accept her apology for being late ("My mom was so late getting back from the store!"), sneaking glimpses of Naruto over my shoulder as she leads me away.

"_See you later, kid."_

"_Yeah, later."_

"Shikamaru, there's a couple things I want to talk to you about," Ino explains as we turn onto a deserted side street, "about our missions."

"I figured," I say, "So what are they?"

We reach the end of the street. There's a small overhang with a pretty nice view, covered with dewy green grass. To my surprise, Ino pulls a blanket out of the small bag she brought along.

"Come on, sit down," she prods, spreading the blanket over the grass.

I help her smooth down the blanket and we both sit down, looking down at the crop of trees in front of us. Ino reaches into her bag and pulls out a smaller, brown paper bag.

"Here," she says, handing me a rice ball. I have to admit that they look pretty good, especially since I hardly had anything for breakfast. "It's my lunch break, so we might as well eat."

"Thanks," I unwrap it and take a small bite. _Not bad, Ino._

"I'm worried about our team," Ino says bluntly, taking out a rice ball for herself. "In some ways we're really behind the others. I mean, each team has their specialty. With Guy Sensei's team, they have Lee's tai jutsuu, Tenten's weapons, and Neji. Same thing with Koureni Sensei. Her team has Hinata…and Shino and Kiba are really good at finding _and_ taking down the enemy. Don't even get me started on Sakura and _her_ team. Boy did she get lucky, that little billboard brow. At least she's got that stupid knucklehead weighing her down."

"He isn't weighing her down," I say angrily, ignoring the rest of her speech.

"Whatever, Shikamaru," Ino says, waving a hand in front of her face dismissively, "The point is that we're the only team without a specialty."

"Of course we have a specialty. We've got your mind transfer, my shadow jutsu and Chouji's monster strength." I argue back, "On top of that, we work well together. Maybe our communication could use a little work; I'll admit that. I've been meaning to show you some hand signs I worked out. Maybe we could…"

"Hand signs aren't going to cut it, Shikamaru," Ino insists, putting her rice ball down, "The bottom line is that we're more effective as a back up squad than anything else."

"So what?"

"So I'm tired of playing second fiddle to that man-stealing, bird-brained…Okay, just calm down, Ino. Calm down."

I shrink backwards and she glares at me. After a minute, she seems to regain her composure, and I breath a sigh of relief.

"I just want to be able to protect our home," she says quietly, "All the other teams are always pushing themselves to get better. I want to get better too."

"We'll work on it," I promise her and I put my arm around her shoulders, "It'll be okay. I could try harder."

"You were training so hard before," she says, "What happened? It's like you lost interest completely."

"I didn't lose interest," I try not to look wrong-footed by her question, "I'm just taking a break from training with Chouji. I've been training with Naruto."

"_We_ should train together," she retorts, "We are on the same team after all. Aren't we?"

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, sure. If you really want to, I'll train with you. I just don't see what it's going to get us. It'll just be a whole lot of jutsu dodging."

"We could work on our tai chi," she suggests, and I nod. It goes without saying that I really hate getting roped into this. All it's going to mean is even more painful injuries and hours of hard work. Aches and pains, breaks and sprains. And even less them with Naruto.

"Good," Ino says, finally unwrapping her rice and taking a small bite. She seems a little more relaxed, but it's like she's transferred her anxiety to me.

I clear my throat and take my arm back, "You said you wanted to talk about a couple of things."

"Yeah," she says, looking down at her lunch, "I don't really know how to put this, but… There's a member of our team who, I don't think, is really putting their all into our training."

"Hey, if you're talking about Chouji, he's not –"

"No," she shakes her head, "It's _you_. Shikamaru, you've been totally distracted lately. You're spending way too much time with that knucklehead. And when you're around, you're making rookie mistakes. If you hadn't rushed into that battle, that other guy wouldn't have caught you off guard like he did."

"Chouji had my back," I say defensively.

"A ninja never lets his personal life distract him from his missions," Ino says firmly, "Look, Shikamaru. I just want to say that I'm your friend. I know more about what's going on with you than you might think."

"Yeah…huh? What? What does that mean?" I sputter intelligently.

"I've been inside your mind, Shikamaru," she says, sounding vaguely like a fortune-teller.

"Ino, that's creepy,"

"Come on already! Don't make me hint around so much. I care about you." Ino takes one of my hands and holds it in her own, looking at me seriously, "You can talk to me."

I feel my face start to heat up as I consider several possible escape routes. Ino tightens her grip on my hand, like she's reading my mind or can sense my panicked desire to get as far away from her as humanly possible.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I tell her, looking her steadily in the eye and trying to avoid flinching. "Really."

Ino sighs; she sounds very frustrated when she says, "Keeping something bottled up never helped anyone. You of all people should know that."

"Why me?"

"Are you kidding?" Ino looks at me incredulously, "You're _always_ doing it. You're one of the most uptight people I know!"

"Thanks a lot, Ino,"

"The thing is…" her expression turns thoughtful again, "How do I put this? Lately, you've been distracted and your uptight whenever I mention certain…_subjects_. But, you're happier too. So did you finally find a way to cool off?"

"Is this conversation almost over?" I ask her pleadingly.

For some reason, Ino smiles. She puts down her rice ball and takes her time wiping her hands on a napkin. Then, she turns to me like a girl about to engage in some seriously scandalous gossiping.

"So tell me, Shikamaru," she says conspiratorially, still smiling, "Is he a good kisser?"

Minutes later, I'm back at Ichiraku's, having bolted away from Ino so fast that I think I gave myself whiplash. Naruto's not there. _Damnit, where could he be?_

"Looking for Naruto, kid?"

I step into the booth, "Yeah, actually. I have to give him the…uh message about…"

"He just left," the owner tells me with a smile, "That way."

I mutter a quick "thanks" and head in that direction. _He knows! No he doesn't. Calm down. Ino knows! No, Ino only guesses. Unless she…? No. Calm down. Where is Naruto?_

"Shikamaru?"

"Thank God!" I turn around and he's suddenly there. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I must have walked right past him. "I mean…"

Several passers-by look over at me. _They all know!_ "Thank God, it's a nice day."

"I need to talk to you," I tell Naruto quietly, once everyone has returned to their own business.

"Okay" he says uneasily.

We walk in silence until we've almost reached the isolate spot from the other night.

"We're in trouble, Naruto," I tell him.

"Don't just say things like that," he looks at me with considerable panic, "What did we do?"

"Ino knows" I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose with one finger.

"What?" he roars. It's a good thing we came all the way out here. His thin apartment walls wouldn't suffice for the inevitable blow up. "What do you mean she knows?"

"Calm down," I tell him, and myself. "I didn't tell her. I don't know how she knows. That's not our biggest problem, though."

He swoons, it's the only word for it, and sits down on a boulder. "I thought I told you not to say things like that. It's so vague."

"If Ino knows, we have to assume…that it's possible…"

"That what's possible?"

"More people might know," I say heavily, "I've been thinking about something Kiba said."

I explain to him about how Kiba came over the other morning and what he said while he was there. "Oh yeah," I finish up, "He wanted me to tell you that you caught a lucky break."

"Uh-huh," Naruto answers sarcastically, rolling his eyes "So, Ino knows. Kiba _probably_ knows. Haha. Nose."

"Sorry, are you delirious?"

"No," he shakes his head slowly, looking down at his feet, "You know what?"

"What?" I ask him, praying it's something good.

"They know… Well, they probably do, but they haven't said anything," he looks at me solemnly, "They haven't done anything about us."

"So what does that…?"

A bitter smile emerges on his face, "Do you think they hate us, now?"

"I don't know," I say softly, sitting beside him and putting my arm around his shoulders, much like I did earlier, with Ino. "I get the feeling they don't." I add the last part reassuringly because he looks so desperate to hear it. And looking back, the things Ino had said didn't seem hateful. It was the opposite, really, but still…

"I'm scared," he admits, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah, me too"


	16. Lighting flashes, pangs of hunger

Training with Ino isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Anyway, it's far less difficult, tiring and painful as my days with Chouji and Naruto. For my bruised and beaten body, it's a welcome change. Sometimes we even have fun, especially when we take breaks. During those times we sit or lie down and talk. Well, Ino does most of the talking, but I think she prefers it that way. When my mind drifts to _other things_, it goes unnoticed.

Ino and I fit together well; it's not just our jutsus that compliment each other. Anyone with a shallow understanding of who Ino is could never understand our relationship. Ino's a sweet girl, underneath all her tough talk and rampant temper. We have a similar lack of direction and we're both a little vain. And here's a surprise – she's not the idiot everyone seems to think she is. People really underestimate her. That's another thing we have in common.

She doesn't bring up Naruto and I neither do I, though he's always at the back of my mind. I should feel uncomfortable around her, after that little scene from the other day, but I don't. Neither one of us even mentions it. Of course I never bring it up; it's just not my style. It's beyond me why Ino doesn't say anything, when she was so eager the other day, but I'm glad… mostly.

Sometimes I have a sudden desire to confess everything. Usually it happens toward the end of our training, when I'm tired and my mind is most vulnerable. I'll look over at her and see the beautiful girl who might just be my best friend, aside from Chouji, and I'll think maybe I should tell her. Maybe I should confess everything and unload a small part of this heavy burden. _Is he a good kisser, Ino? Thinking about kissing Naruto is enough to make me lightheaded. Does that answer your question?_

On the fourth night, Naruto finally comes to see me. There's no warning, so I'm half-asleep when I hear a light tapping on the window. During the time it takes me to get up and walk across the room, it's turned into full-fledged knocking. I have more difficulty with the window than ever before, and we both end up getting knocked around a little. The latch finally secure, Naruto wraps his arms around my back and literally pulls me out my window.

He drops me on the ground, hard, and I both feel and hear my back crack. Well, even his crazy midget strength has its limits. What he _really_ needs is a little patience.

Naruto tackles me and hungrily attacks my lips.

"What took you so long?" I demand. I grab his collar and pull him all the way on top of me. "You idiot."

He chuckles and I can feel each of his exhales as tiny puffs of air on my face. "Did you miss –?"

"_Yes_," I run the pad of my thumb across one of his cheeks and he smiles. _So fucking much._ "Kid, you don't even know."

"I've got a pretty good idea," he says, "Shikamaru…do you know why I'm here tonight?"

"I've got a pretty good idea," I try to pull him down for another kiss, but he maintains his distance.

"It's been a month since you told me you liked me," he answers, looking at me with a very solemn expression. "More or less."

"Really?" I simply look at him, amazed that it's been this long, and even more amazed that he actually kept track. "_Naruto_, I don't…"

Even though it isn't raining, a flash of lightning suddenly illuminates my entire yard, and both of our faces. An ominous clap of thunder soon follows and I feel Naruto's body tense. I look up at him reverently. _Don't be scared, I'll protect you._

"S-Shikamaru?" Naruto asks me shyly, "Am I precious? To you?"

He lets me this time, so I wrap my arms around his back and pull him as close as I can, welcoming the weight of him as it distributes itself over my entire body. "Yeah," I tell him quietly. "Am I?"

"Are you kidding?" Another bolt of lightning, quickly followed by more thunder, has Naruto shivering against me. "Yeah, Shikamaru. You are."

At first I think a drop of rain has fallen on me, but I realize that it's only a tear.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

"I was so confused," he says slowly and I feel several more tears fall onto my cheek. "and then I was actually _mad_…at you."

I'm at a loss for what to do. I've seen Naruto get emotional before, but never quite like this. It's never been so personal.

"But I started to think about it," he continues, taking a deep breath and sounding a little more sure of himself, "and it started to sound _good_. Then I was even more confused, of course."

I rub Naruto's back as he shakes slightly against me. "And now I- I really _want_ you, Shikamaru."

I shudder and lay my head on the ground. Naruto's got this way of stirring things up in me – things that spend most of the time sleeping. Passion, impulsiveness…these things hibernate in me. To feel them come forward all at once like this, like they only do with him, is unsettling to say the least.

Thunder and lightning continue to make appearances from time to time, as our hands roam over each other and Naruto leans down to kiss me. "I'm still scared," he says softly. Whether he's scared of the impending storm or of me, I don't know.

I only know what I'm scared of.

"Naruto," I whisper, after we've been kissing for some time, "I want to try something."

He pulls back slightly and looks at me with an intently curious expression. I smile nervously and feel my face heat up.

"Wow, it must be something really _bad_," his eyes widen and he watches me with baited breath as I gently push him off me. We sit facing each other as the storm rages on in the distance. "Tell me."

I shrug and look down at my hands, "It's just something I've been thinking about since the other day, when you showed me… Well, since then. It's kind of hard to explain. Maybe it would be better if I showed you."

"Shikamaru?" he breathes, "What are you going to do?"

"Shadow possession jutsu," I say smugly, watching his eyes pop wide with surprise.

By the time we're done, the rain has come and gone, leaving both of us soaked to the bone.

"I'm starting to think it might not be worth it," he tells me, as we lay panting against each other, "to keep this a secret anymore, I mean."

Instead of answering, I kiss his neck and he moans contentedly.

"You're a fast learner," he says, completely distracted.

"Fast learner? Really?" I kiss a trail down his neck, finishing with a light nibble on his naked collarbone. "I thought you were going to say it's impressive how a lazy guy like me can apply himself when he's _motivated_."

"It _is_ impressive. That part when you started stripping and I had to too, because I was under the jutsu?" he winks at me and I roll my eyes. "Inspired."

"They don't call me a tactician for nothing," I retort, scooting back so I can lay my head against him.

"I guess not," he laughs and I can feel every rise and fall of his chest. A moment later, I hear his stomach growl and, for some reason, I find this hilarious. He watches, transfixed, as I laugh quietly against him.

"I've never seen you laugh this much," he says bemusedly. I blush and bury my face in his chest, stifling my laughter. "Come on, Shikamaru. Laugh."

For a few seconds we fight, as he tries to tickle me and I try to stop him (not an easy feat, by the way, in a mesh shirt). Then, we lose what's left of our energy and I'm left lying on top of him as the rainwater pools around our motionless bodies.

"Aren't you hungry?" he says after a minute.

"Not really," I say honestly, "It's the middle of the night."

"Yeah, but Shikamaru," his hands drift down to my stomach and he runs his fingers along my skin. "Come one, look at you. You're like skin and bones."

"And _muscle_" I snap, but I only makes him laugh.

"You can't eat because of me right?" he asks annoyingly.

"Yeah," I smile down at him, "because you make me nauseous."

We both laugh, as quietly as possible, until his stomach growls again. As if agreeing with him, my own stomach soon echoes with a similar growl. This sends us into a new wave of laughter and I start to seriously worry that my parents will wake up at any minute.

"Where could we get something to eat?" Naruto says aloud, as if pondering the meaning of life itself. "Restaurants are all closed. Everyone's asleep. Nothing at my place… That reminds me – I need to go shopping."

"I know a place," I interrupt him before he can start making a mile-long mental list of groceries. "Someone whose parent's are out of town for the next two days. Someone who always, and I mean _always_, has access to food of some kind or another."

"Don't tell me…" Naruto asks, grinning wickedly up at me.

And that's how we ended up at Chouji's house at three in the morning, completely drenched and looking for a snack.


	17. A Matter of Taste

"Are you sure about this, kid?"

His only answer is to knock sharply on Chouji's door. I brace myself mentally and it must have shown, because Naruto gives me a small, secretive smile. It doesn't take long for the door to open. If I know him, and I do, Chouji was getting a midnight snack of his own.

"Thanks for thinking of me, guys," Chouji laughs, once we've finished giving him the reader's digest version of why we're on his front step at such an odd time. "Well since you're here…come on in."

We follow him down the hall, into his large and welcoming kitchen; like him, it's warm and inviting, no matter what time it is. Chouji pours two cups up tea and picks up his own, not drinking but simply warming his hands with the hot mug. That's the great thing about Chouji. I like to take things slowly and he never rushes me. He's waiting for me to make the first move because of course he's realized the obvious.

I look at Naruto; _he's_ still looking at me, pointedly, urging me to say something. "Chouji, There's another reason we're here."

Chouji just nods and looks at me expectantly, waiting politely for me to finish.

"We're together," Naruto snapped, jerking his thumb toward me. _Smooth, Naruto_. I feel heat rush to my face as I do everything in my power not to look at my best friend. How is he going to react? How did I let Naruto talk me into this?

"What?" Chouji asks us both, completely nonplussed.

I whip around to glare at Naruto, "What he means is… I mean…"

"It's like ripping off a band-aid," Naruto tells me in a low tone only I can hear, "Let's just get it over with."

"I _never_ rip of band-aids," I hiss back, "I soak them in warm water first."

_I should be saying something. Oh God. _My mind scrambled to remember my carefully planned words of explanation.

"Maybe you should sit down," I say, turning back to Chouji. He doesn't move, just gazes back across the counter at us.

"Don't tell me…" he begins slowly, looking back and forth between Naruto and myself. "Um… Shikamaru? Can I talk to you for a second?"

"No," Naruto whines immediately, "I want to hear."

"No, Naruto," I say tensely, "Not everything it about you."

He gives me the puppy dog eyes on my way out, as I follow Chouji into the dining room. I ignore him for once.

"Look at him," Chouji says, rolling his eyes, "How can you be into_ him_, Shikamaru?"

"_Excuse_ me?" It comes out of my mouth automatically and probably even fussier than it sounds in my head. "I mean…what?"

"I asked how a genius like you could go for someone like Naruto."

"I hear you saying my name!" Naruto called out and this time we both roll our eyes.

"What are you saying, Chouji?" I ask quietly, "Did you already know that I'm gay?"

"I… kind of figured," he admits, smiling nervously.

"Oh…well…" I say intelligently. "Do you know if anyone else knows?"

"No…"

"So how long have you known?" I ask shyly as I carefully examine the handle of my mug.

"I don't know," he chuckles uneasily, as he is known to do in uncomfortable situations, "For a while, I guess. I just…"

Naruto storms in, cutting Chouji off. "Hey," Naruto says casually, as if he hadn't just barged in on a private conversation. "Are you talking about me?"

"Now that you're with Shikamaru, you need to stop acting like such a goofball all the time," Chouji tells him sagely, "Seriously, Naruto."

Naruto looks back and forth between us before saying, in a pouting tone, "_He_ doesn't think I'm a goofball."

"He's just too nice to tell you to your face,"

"No, I tell him. He just ignores me," I chime in and Chouji and I both laugh. Naruto, however, continues to pout.

"So…I guess," Chouji says finally, and more seriously, "I'm kind of honored that you guys decided to tell me. Who else are you telling?"

"Nobody," I say simply. He actually looks kind of touched. He turns around and busies himself with pouring three bowls of cereal. As Chouji adds a generous amount of milk to each bowl, Naruto comes over and gives me a quick one-armed hug. I'm not sure, but I think I see Chouji smirk a little and my face turns bright red.

"You should really think about telling people," Chouji advises, turning around and offering us each a bowl and a spoon.

"I don't know, Chouji," I glance over at Naruto and he shrugs, digging into his cereal. "I mean… we decided to tell you because, well, you're my best friend."

I look up at Chouji and see that he has a big grin on his face. He isn't even eating his cereal. "I always will be, Shikamaru. But you should give your friends more credit. These are people that would sacrifice their lives for you. I think they'd like to know the real you."

"The real me?" I ask. Naruto looks up at Chouji with an equally confused expression on his face. His spoon dangles out of his mouth, making him look like a very big kid.

"Yeah," Chouji nods, "You're always so reserved about everything. You'd make a really good Anbu."

Naruto lets out a guffaw of laughter followed by a string of giggles, "He _would_."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I tell them haughtily, finally taking a bite of my own cereal. It's pretty good. Nice and wholesome tasting with just a little sugar. Not bad for a nighttime snack, but then again, I shouldn't expect anything less from Chouji.

I still feel anxious and I don't eat much, in spite of how good it tastes.

"You okay?" Chouji asks when he comes back from washing his dish and sees that I've barely touched my cereal since that first bite.

"Shikamaru?" Naruto snaps his bowl down (he'd been drinking the last dregs of milk from the bottom). The way he says my name makes me laugh giddily; he says it as if he should have thought of it first. _Because he's my…_

"Sorry," I tell them, covering my mouth, "I just never thought I'd tell anyone. I never thought…" I trail off, glancing at Naruto. He's smiling back at me sappily.

"Okay, enough of that," Chouji says, letting out a laugh that makes me glad his parents aren't home. "It's nice to have the place to myself," Chouji adds, as if reading my mind. He stretches comfortably and joins us at the table.

"Hey Shikamaru," he looks over at me, "You want some new cereal? That's got to be all soggy by now."

"I'll get it," Naruto says quickly. _Oh man, this is never going to get old._

"No!" I plunge my spoon into my bowl and hold it in front of my mouth, "I like it soggy."

"Well," says Naruto, settling back into his chair, "There's no accounting for taste."

"No," Chouji agrees, looking sideways at Naruto, "There really isn't."

_Thank you for the reviews everybody!_

_Review Please!_

_And subscribers – I hope you like the story! If there's anything you want to see happen or whatever let me know – I'm not a frequent writer and I'm trying to make this story better so any comments will be appreciated _


	18. Fanning the Flames

Fanning the Flame

I'm not a very warm person, or so Naruto tells me.

"It isn't your fault" he says, "I like you better this way. You're different."

"You're talking," he sometimes says, "What are you saying?"

Because, he says, while I may not be warmly sociable like him or like the others, I have my own unique way of communicating. I speak with gestures and expressions. He says he's figured this out lately, spending time together all these days.

A month goes by after our confession to Chouji and no one else finds out. At least, there aren't any direct confrontations. Meanwhile, the list of people who might know gets longer by the day.

Ino probably knows, but she's left it alone. She even goes easy on our training schedule. Nothing's going on in the village, so Naruto and I should have plenty of time together. But plenty is never enough.

I've thrown caution to the wind in more ways than one. My parents don't know that it's a shadow clone I send home each evening. That is, they don't realize or they don't say anything. I have worked hard to create the most indistinguishable copies of myself, but my parents are _my_ parents, after all. The whole thing is troublesome, but it frees me to spend each night in the embrace of one Naruto Uzumaki. For that, I am grateful.

"How are things?" Chouji sometimes asks me playfully. Depending on my mood, and the events of the previous day, I'll answer sarcastically or simply smile with bliss. I know that I am helpless to do anything else on these occasions because I'm in _love_ and I'm a great big idiot. A shadow of the man I used to be, if you will.

"You look happy," Naruto chuckles one night, as we bask in the afterglow of our heady kisses and erratic thrusting.

I close my eyes and take a deep, stabilizing breath. "Lie on top of me," I tell him softly.

He does so, rustling the sheets and finally pressing his chest against mine. He entwines his legs with mine and lays his head against my shoulder. I inhale deeply, overcome with a dark, musky combination of sweat and sex. It is perfectly, innately Naruto.

"I _am_ happy," I whisper.

Another time, we get into the strangest conversation.

"Don't tell me," Naruto insists, grinning like a fool, "I'm going to guess. Wait!"

"Naruto, I told you I never had a _thing_ for another guy,"

"Chouji?" he asks skeptically. I glare and he puts up his hands defensively. "Okay, I get it."

"That's like asking if you've got a thing for Sasuke," I tell him snippily, "and we both know_ that's_ ridiculous." Despite my tone, I can't help but watch him closely for a reaction.

"Of course it is!" he yelps, "Okay who else…?"

"No one else," I can't help but grin, "I bet you have a few, though."

"Don't try to tell me I'm the first and only guy you've ever liked. Let's be reasonable here," he says quickly, trying to take the pressure off himself. "If you tell me one, I'll tell you one. Then I promise not to bring it up again."

"Why do you even…?" I growl, throwing my hands up in the air. As usual, Naruto has a way of throwing me into a tempest. "No deal."

"I won't leave you alone until you do," he says sneakily, snaking one arm around my shoulders. I know it's a threat, but I shudder happily. He finishes off the assault with his trademarked puppy dog eyes and I'm done for.

"I'll even go first," he adds hurriedly, knowing that he has me beat, "I've always been curious about Kiba."

"_Kiba_?" I repeat, completely thrown off and trying not to be jealous, "Why _Kiba_?"

I look around, half expecting Kiba to pop out of the bushes and say "Why me what?" You just never know with those crazy canine-like senses of his.

"I don't know," Naruto says thoughtfully, leaning back on his elbows to look up at the sky. "I just think he's kind of interesting…and he's so different."

"Compared to what? Me?"

"Yeah," he sighs, searching for the right words, "I mean, you're so soft and shy. You know Kiba. He's just _wild_. I wonder what he… Oh, come on. Don't be mad."

"_Soft_ and _shy_?" I echo angrily.

By the time I'm done with him, I have to wonder if he'd planned it like that from the beginning. Anyway, he drops the subject so I'm satisfied. If he ever found out about the phase I had gone through, when I would tremble in the presence of my sensei, Asuma… I would never live it down.

"I'll never look at you the same way again," is the last thing he says before passing out in the middle of the overgrown field we were sitting in. Because I love him, I put his clothes back on, but because he said he was _curious_ about Kiba, I leave him to sleep out there, at the mercy of whoever finds him.

From time to time, we debate the merits of telling someone else. I suggest Ino but Naruto shoots it down giving me his reasons in threefold. First, she's a notorious gossip. Second, she has a short temper and an impulsive tongue. Third, she's another one of _my_ friends and we haven't told any of _his_ friends yet.

I don't know exactly how to react to that. The first two reasons are pretty solid, so I retract my suggestion. As to the third thing, I guess I can understand why Naruto wants to tell someone close to him. Telling Chouji has certainly eased my mind somewhat. I don't want to tell my parents or anything, but maybe…? Anyway, who would Naruto tell?

I look at him, trying to conceal the pity I feel for him. He doesn't even have the _option_ of telling his parents. And the saddest thing is, he probably would tell them.

"Okay, Naruto," I say indulgently, "Who do you want to tell?"

"I don't know," he says simply. It never goes farther than that.

During this month of time spent together, we both get called away on missions sporadically. I go on three and he goes on four. To my surprise, I'm actually somewhat caught up in his competitive spirit. Combine that with Ino's newfound enthusiasm and I suddenly find myself _wanting_ to go on missions. The only downfall is being away from him.

Whenever one of us returns to the village, it's an unspoken rule that we must see each other _immediately_. Whether the mission is an hour or several days, we honor that rule. Every time I'm with Naruto, it's so very good, but those first times after being away are frequently better. Nights like those are rife with desperation and impatience; I often embarrass myself with my own eagerness and I'm often almost scared of his.

Of course, we spend time doing other things as well.

Naruto's obsessed as always, going on about his dreams of being the hokage one day. He pushes me to train harder than I would have thought possible. Three days a week, I train with Ino and Chouji and twice a week with Naruto. At least once a week, I can expect some small chore or task around the village. One day, one _blessed_ day, I get off. Of course, it usually ends up being another Naruto day and on those days, sporadic training is as likely as the sun rising. In other words, it's inevitable.

But it seems I am rubbing off on Naruto as well, because we always set aside a good portion of those days for my favorite pursuits. We play Go and Shogi often and, if I'm in a good mood, I'll let him win. Afterward, he'll crow about it for days and I still never tell him.

Every now and then, we'll lie outside and look up at the clouds. I know it can be difficult for him; the boy can't sit still for more than a five-minute stretch. But when he gets antsy, he does things that I like to me, so I never complain either.

Naruto is _sexy_. He's handsome and he's passionate, like some kind of modern-day Greek hero. I wonder what he thinks of me, how he thinks of me, really. Finally, I decide to ask him.

"What do I think of you?" he asks, "I'm sure I've told you."

"Tell me again,"

"You're the smartest, most dependable guy I know," he says emphatically, "Beauty and brains. My boyfriend has it all."

"Boyfriend," I say musingly, "_Beauty?_"

"Yes, beauty,"

"You do realize I'm a boy, don't you?" I ask him in a dry, sarcastic tone.

He just laughs it off, "_Trust me_, Shikamaru. I know you're a boy."

I'm so pathetic, even that made me love him more.

_**I hope you liked it! :) Thanks for reading!**_


	19. Older and Wiser

Older and Wiser

At first I'm surprised when Naruto decides who our next confidante will be, but after thinking about it for a while, it starts to make sense. After all, Iruka sensei has been almost like a father to him over years. I have my own bond with Iruka, but it's nowhere near as deep as the one he and Naruto share. Unlike Naruto, I've always been reserved in my relationships. That is, until very recently.

I agree, knowing all the while that it'll be like torture for me. To reveal something so personal to another soul, let alone an adult who was once my _teacher_, is unthinkable. But for Naruto, it's the most natural thing in the world.

I insist on making a careful plan this time, because the situation at hand will have far more potential for disaster than when we told Chouji. And that was awkward enough.

Naruto makes lunch plans with Iruka for late in the week and when the day finally comes, I drag my feet so much that Naruto starts to refer to me as "dead-man walking." _How troublesome._

"Today I'm treating _you_, sensei," Naruto says brightly, taking a seat at the counter.

_Sorry Naruto, I guess I made you late after all_. I had planned to visit Ino while they ate their ramen, or at least that's what I told Naruto, but I stay. I'm curious, I guess, or maybe just worried that Naruto will say something idiotic. In the end, though, I can't get within earshot _and_ remain unseen, so eavesdropping is out of the question.

Once I've started watching, it's impossible to leave, so I stay the entire time they eat, observing every change in their body posture. They both seem comfortable enough, and very relaxed. The logical side of my brain reads this as a good sign, but I'm more caught up another aspect of it. I'm captivated by Naruto's every movement; when he reaches for the saltshaker, a light grin playing on his face, I sigh pitiably. Immediately after that, I whip my head around to confirm that no one is watching me. Explaining to someone why I was ogling Naruto and sighing as he ate a bowl of pork ramen would be a real drag.

The entire time, I'm torn between wanting them to finish quickly and wanting them to take their sweet time. See, when Naruto and Iruka emerge from that stand, that's when the hard part will really begin. That's our plan: Naruto's telling Iruka about someone he's seeing. He'll drop hints, but avoid giving anything important away, or so he promised.

It was Naruto's idea to do it together, as it had been with Chouji. If I were a pessimist, I could say it was because he didn't trust me to go through with it that first time, but I think it's actually the very opposite.

"It's _our_ secret," he had told me last night. It was late, perhaps early at that point, and I still couldn't fall asleep. "We both decide. We do it together."

Finally and far too soon, Naruto and Iruka finishing eating and Naruto pays, true to his word. When they duck under the decorative flaps lining the entrance to Ichiraku's, I step casually into the street and into their line of vision.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto calls at once "Come here for a second."

As I get close to them, I can hear Naruto explaining that we have something to tell him and can he take a walk with us please. Iruka agrees amicably; he seems to be in a good enough mood. Obviously, Naruto hasn't told him yet. I breathe a sigh of relief before remembering that we will now have to do so.

Iruka notices the fact that we're leading him away from the more populated areas right away; I can tell. It's obvious in the way his expression becomes ever so slightly more serious and the way he does at double-take at both of us, trying to read our faces for clues. Naruto and I exchange a brief glance, mutually impassive.

"It's…sort of personal," Naruto says apologetically, as we turn down yet another deserted street. Finally, we reach the edge of the woods.

"If you're going to attack me, I think is as good a place to do it as any," Iruka says after a few more minutes. He laughs uneasily when Naruto and I only exchange an anxious look.

"You're right," Naruto sighs, "I mean… No. We're not going to mug you, sensei, don't be paranoid."

"_Naruto_," I mutter warningly.

"Right," he braces himself and looks Iruka sensei square in the eye. "We have something to tell you, sensei. It's has to do with what you and I were talking about earlier."

Iruka ponders this for a moment, "Should I sit down?"

The bemused grin that had been on face until now vanishes as he looks at our solemn expressions.

"I'll sit down," he mumbles, squatting on a nearby tree stump. Naruto sits on the ground beside him, but I stand slightly apart from the pair. I can't help but shake this feeling I have, of intruding on a private moment.

_Naruto wants me here_, I remind myself.

"So," Naruto says slowly, "Iruka sensei, I want you to meet the person I was talking about."

"The person…who is precious to you?" Iruka asks him. Naruto nods gravely and I feel a familiar heat make its way across my cheeks and neck.

"Is she here?" Iruka asks, looking around for signs of a female presence. I cringe inwardly. _So, the awkwardness begins._

"It's…I mean _he's_ not a she,"

Iruka's eyes fly to me at once and I look away quickly, but I can't avoid seeing the shock in his expression. There's no need to say anymore; he obviously gets the general idea. Naruto and I remain silent, waiting for him to make the next move. I have to force myself not to look at Naruto as Iruka mulls over our disclosure in complete silence. No doubt, he's getting impatient.

After what seems like a lifetime, Iruka sighs resignedly, "Naruto, if you're saying what I think you are…"

"Then what?" he asks sharply, cutting across Iruka's unspoken warning, "Don't you remember what I told you?"

I can't help but look at them. Naruto's staring determinedly at our old teacher with his arms crossed and posture rigid. Not for the first time, I envy his courage and ability to say whatever's on his mind.

Iruka closes his eyes and nods, "Of course I do. I remember all of it." I'm caught like prey in a trap when his eyes snap open, his gaze fixed intently on me. "Shikamaru, you haven't said anything."

I blush furiously and before I know it, before I can do anything to _prevent_ it, Naruto is off the ground and slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Don't worry, Shikamaru. I've got this under control."

All I can do is roll my eyes and hide my face in my hands as Iruka laughs helplessly at us.

"Naruto asked me to be there when he told you," I explain, shrugging off Naruto's arm, "We haven't told very many people yet, so you'll have to excuse us if we don't have the presentation down."

"So I'm one of the chosen few, huh?" Iruka asks, glancing over at Naruto, whose expression lightens immediately.

"Yeah," he says softly, "Shikamaru wanted to tell Chouji and I wanted to tell you."

"Just me?"

When Naruto nods, Iruka looks seriously at both of us, his eyes creased with worry.

"How did this…" he pauses awkwardly, blushing a little himself, "how did you two… er… get together?"

Naruto looks at me and a second later so does Iruka.

"Not it" I mumble hopefully. Neither one of them shows any signs of relenting though. "_Okay_, it was my fault."

"_Fault_?" Naruto asks in a strangled voice. I shrug and fidget, avoiding his direct gaze. "Shikamaru, that's so cold. Sensei, what he means is, it all began with a confession of the deepest long–"

"I get it," Iruka cuts him off and I sigh with relief. "I can't say I understand it, but I get the logistics."

"_Nobody_ else knows, aside from you and Chouji," I tell him significantly.

"I won't tell your parents," he replies, giving me a searching look, "That being said, I think you should, Shikamaru."

"I think so too," Naruto pipes up.

I'm only just able to stop myself from saying, _It's easy for the two of you, you're parents are dead._ It would be the worst possible thing to say. It's so vicious and I know it isn't true anyway. It would be easier for them for a different reason. They're used to being open with people. _I_ keep everything behind locked doors, as I've been reminded of all too frequently.

A response doesn't seem necessary, so I say nothing and reveal nothing of my inner thoughts. I guess that's just what you can expect from a guy like me.

"I'll never stop worrying about you two," Iruka tells us, "You're so young. Are you sure this is even what you want?"

"_Yes_," our emphatic denials overlap. Naruto has both of his fests clenched and his jaw is set, but he isn't looking at Iruka. He's looking at me. I nod, communicating my unwavering allegiance to him with a single jerk of my head.

"We're in love," Naruto says simply, still holding my gaze, "I know it's hard to believe and maybe you'll never really understand it, but that doesn't change what it is."

Iruka seriously considers this, looking up at the canopy of leaves above our heads.

"There's really is something different about you, Naruto," Iruka tells him after a time, "Maybe you've grown since leaving the academy after all."

**My writers block is finally cured. xD**

**Reviews are me bread and butter**

**Thank you for reading 3**


	20. Asuma's Ambush

Asuma's Ambush

"Got you,"

"Aren't you supposed to say Shadow Possession Jutsu a success?" Naruto asks with a smirk. I can't tell if it's _his_ or if he's being forced to mirror mine. I walk over to him slowly and he copies my motions until we're standing cheek to cheek.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu is a success," I breathe in his ear and release my hold on him.

"Wait, that's it?" Naruto asks disappointedly, "I thought you wanted to work on that new technique. Gah! What's it called? Shadow weaving?"

"Shadow _stitching_," I correct him, "and we're not trying that. I don't have it ready for combat yet. I could really hurt you."

He just looks at me incredulously, "You just did," he says snootily and points off to his left "Go practice it over there. I can't look at you right now."

"Hey," I frown at him. It's pointless to argue because he'll just dig his feet in like always, so I sneak away to take a nap instead.

"You better not go take a nap!" he calls after me. I just throw up a rude hand gesture and make a quick departure.

Once I'm well out of sight, I start looking for a comfortable place to lie down. I don't have a lot of options. The clearing where Naruto and I we're standing seemed to be the only open space in sight. _Could Naruto have planned it that way? Nah… _He doesn't think that far ahead; It's more _my_ style.

Then something happens. Maybe it's because there are so many trees around or maybe it's because I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. Either way, it's downright embarrassing.

I almost walk directly into Asuma. Before I can say a word, he has me in a chokehold, putting just enough pressure on my throat for me to feel it, but not to cut off my air supply. My sensei is an exceptionally skilled ninja, but I still should have seen the attack coming.

"Don't let your guard down, Shikamaru," he growls, putting me back on the ground with a thud. Instead of catching my balance, like any sane person would do, I simply allow myself to fall into the narrow space between two trees, first to my knees and then all the way down on my stomach.

"I'm just going to take a nap right here," I mutter into the dirt.

"I wasn't just randomly wandering around here," he nudges me disdainfully in the ribs, "I'd like to talk to you Shikamaru. If you aren't…busy?"

"Busy?" I ask shrilly, "Not busy, no. But I might not be conscious much longer. So, if it's all the same to you, can you hurry up and tell me before _he_ gets back?"

"He who?"

"Oh… Naruto," I blink up at him, but his face is all fuzzy through my haze of tiredness.

"Let me get this straight," he squats down next to me, "You're hiding from Naruto?"

I nod meekly. Asuma shakes his head, one of those horrible, grown-up smiles on his face. Like, I know something you don't because you're just a stupid kid.

"It's worse than I thought," he says. Ominous words, but there's laughter in his voice. _What could that possibly mean?_ I pray that whatever it is, it doesn't have anything to do with Naruto. I've dealt with enough of that lately. _I hope the village is in danger_, I think and then cringe inwardly, _No I don't. I take it back._

"What is?"

"_You_," Asuma answers, "This thing you've got going with Naruto."

To say that I'm surprised would be an extreme understatement, like calling Orochimaru a mild nuisance.

"What is this, an intervention?"

"Don't be defensive," Asuma pulls me into a sitting position against my will and leans me against a tree.

I snort, "Didn't you just tell me not to let my guard down?"

He looks at me for a second, outdone and knowing he is, before performing a familiar ritual. Vest, cigarettes, tap, lighter, sss, ahh.

"What no response?" I kick myself for baiting him.

"I'm not going to try and stop you," he says, looking at me sideways. _But…?_ I watch his cigarette tip delicately, scattering ash to the wind. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it."

"I don't see how it's anyone's business," I snap, "other than Naruto's and mine. Or are we going to talk about you and Kurenai as well?"

He blushes a little and stammers, "I don't know what you mean, Shikamaru. The bottom line is I'm your sensei. Your training, along with Ino and Chouji's, is my number one priority. All of this time and energy you spend on Naruto is taking its toll on you. Look at the way I was able to sneak up on you just now. You're not where you need to be yet."

"And where do I need to be?" I ask snidely.

"I don't know," he says vaguely, exhaling smoke. Out of habit, I close my eyes to avoid the cloud. _Ahh, it's nice in here. Nice and dark._

"Better," he sums up, "You need to work harder and you need to train with your team."

"I train with those guys all the time," I say, without any real force, "You got the drop on me because I'm exhausted from training so hard. Can't you see I'm doing exactly what you're telling me what to do?"

"Is that so?"

I don't like his mocking tone. "Yes," I reply emphatically, "Well there doesn't seem to be a problem so…"

He stops me before I can attempt to lie down again. "I've been seeing your shadow clones all around town. They're not fooling anyone."

"They fool my parents," I say with a shrug.

"Don't be so sure of that," he says forebodingly, "You can say you know about me and Kurenai, but I don't let it affect my duties to the Leaf. _I_ sleep in my own bed at night."

I'm sure my face is glowing like the setting sun. It was a nice move. Yes, I see. He's got me cornered.

"Not to mention the added complication of the two of you being –"

"Stop right there," I put my face in my hands, feeling slightly sick, "I can't talk about this with you, sensei."

"Why not!" he actually sounds I little affronted. Maybe I've hurt his feelings by not confiding in him. Not that he would ever come right out and say it.

Luckily, Naruto chooses that exact moment to come check on me.

"I'm glad you're here, Naruto," Asuma tells him seriously, "You both need to hear this."

"He knows," I mumble to Naruto as he comes to stand beside me. Naruto reels around and studies Asuma's stoic expression.

"Oh," is all he says. I lick my lips nervously and watch Asuma as well. Clearly, this is what he's been working up to.

"You are too young to be in such a serious relationship," he says bluntly, "Keeping it a secret is only part of the problem. You're in over your heads and don't try and tell me you're not."

I can't look at either one of them. _In over my head? Yeah, that sounds about right._

Next to me, Naruto exhales shakily. "Asuma sensei, I would have thought _you_ of all people would understand."

"Not him too," Asuma mumbles in an aside to me.

"We don't want to go down that road," I tell Naruto quickly, remembering the comment Asuma made earlier about sleeping in his own bed.

"Still," Naruto insists, looking significantly at Asuma.

"Okay listen up," Asuma says sternly, "I'm _your_ sensei and _your_ elder. I deserve respect so the two of you are going to hear me out until I'm done talking."

"Okay," we mutter dully, allowing him to continue.

"As I said before, I'm not going to try and stop you," Asuma tells us as Naruto sits next to me. I get the feeling we're back in school, being lectured to. "_However_. I don't think it's healthy for the two of you to keep something like this a secret from everyone."

"Please don't tell me you expect me to talk to my parents about Naruto," I ask him, feeling a panic start to rise in my chest.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he sighs, "I was actually referring to someone else. Someone who can understand what the two of you are going through better than me. Or your parents, Shikamaru."

"Who?" Naruto asks him blankly. Asuma chuckles at Naruto's captivated expression.

"Kakashi," Asuma says simply.

"W-what?" Naruto sputters, "Is he –"

"Well, Asuma sensei?" I ask, holding my breath. He chuckles again and drops his cigarette to the ground, stubbing it out casually with one foot.

"I can't say any more," Asuma tells us mysteriously. I groan and Naruto lets out a noise of outrage.

"You're just going to leave us hanging like that?" Naruto asks him angrily.

"Just go talk to him," Asuma advises. "I have to get back to the village. Lady Tsunade is expecting my report."

"On _this_?" I ask, horrified.

"No, no," Asuma smiles, his eyes crinkling up in childish amusement, "I can see how you would have thought that. Yeah. Well I better go, but…"

We both stare up at him. As I crane my neck back to look at him, I'm struck by the _hugeness_ of him and how powerful he looks, looming us like he is. He will always been larger than life to me.

"For the record, I'm happy for you guys."

He grins and says good-bye, leaving us to mull this over.

"You think he means that?" Naruto asks after a minute, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah. I do."

"And the stuff about Kakashi?"

"Who knows?"

**Thanks so much for reading! I'm sorry this fic is so rough – I'm posting it as I'm writing it, so I know there have been some speling erorrs (eep!) and plot-type inconsistencies. I will probably go back and do rewrites at some point. This is the longest thing I think I've ever written and I really appreciate all of the positive feedback and reviews. Thanks so very much xD.**


	21. Rumors

_Author's Note: Sorry for the confusion regarding Shikamaru and Naruto's ages and when this story takes place. Basically you could say it takes place in an AU, because it's different than the show's timeline. Shikamaru and Naruto are 16. (Shikamaru's birthday is in September; Naruto's is in October) This story has taken place over the span of about one and a half months in the spring. All of the events up to and including the Chunin exams occurred as they did in the show. Sakura and Sasuke are both around and will appear in later chapters. Also, Lady Tsunade is Hokage. I hope that clears things up. Ask questions anytime, thanks for reading =)_

Rumours

A few days go by and I train with Ino and Chouji perform my duties to the Leaf as usual… and spend time with Naruto, as usual. The weather seems to be the only thing approving of me as of late. Every day is bright and balmy and there is very little rain now.

Naruto and I have discussed Asuma's vague comments from every possible angle and arrived at the conclusion that we will simply have to ask Kakashi ourselves.

That's why, midweek and midmorning, we find ourselves following the elusive, silver-haired ninja for over an hour. We've only caught glimpses of him so far – one second you see him and the next you don't. Unfortunately, things often don't go according to plan.

"I knew you would come find me," a lilting male voice comes out of thin air, "sooner or later."

Naruto and I spin around to see none other than our target, Kakashi Hatake, standing before us. We were attempting to track him, _not_ the other way around. How troublesome. Then again, it was arrogant to think we could sneak up on a sharingan user.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto says excitedly, not thrown off in the least.

I suppose he's gotten used to this transient figure popping out of the scenery. It never seems to faze Asuma either and he's known Kakashi for ages.

"Hello Naruto, Shikamaru," Kakashi says with a grin detectable only in the squinting of his visible eye. The rest of his face remains hidden behind his mask and Leaf Village headband.

We both say hello, standing shoulder to shoulder and watching Kakashi tentatively. You never know what you're going to get with a guy like him. That's why we've decided to make the first play.

With a nod to each other, Naruto and I link hands and stare back at his, once-more impassive, face.

"So it's like that now?" Kakashi asks us mildly. At least one of his eyebrows rises, the one I can see. "Well since we're showing our cards, Naruto's got a pair, Shikamaru's got a flush, and I've got a full house."

My cheeks burn and Naruto squeezes my hand, his gaze still on Kakashi.

"Why does everyone know _before_ we tell them?" Naruto demands, jumping right into it, "Asuma knew and you know too. And Ino!"

I can't help but add, "Does anyone else know? Do my parents know?"

"As far as I know, no one else knows, but since we're on the subject, what exactly is going on between the two of you?"

His eye floats back down to our joined hands and I feel my palm start to sweat lightly. Naruto notices at once, of course, and gives me a searching look that is full of concern. Poor Naruto. He likes everything out in the open and that's just so _not_ me.

"Naruto?"

"Naruto," my ears perk up automatically, "Eh…Naruto and I are –"

"In love," finishes Naruto, giving my hand an extra hard squeeze. I wince as my fingers are cramped in his grip.

"Yeah," I agree, frowning at him.

"I see" Kakashi says thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hand. "Exactly how serious has this gotten?"

"W-what…No, sensei. _We're_ asking the questions!"

"Alright, Naruto. What do you want to ask me?" Kakashi says, sounding about as fazed as Naruto was when he popped up behind us. It's clear to me that they've spent far too much time together.

As soon as Naruto has the floor, he predictably forgets what we planned earlier. Instead of speaking, he nudges me.

"Do you know why Asuma told us to talk to you?" I ask reluctantly. "He was very specific."

"I've traveled a similar path in life," he says delicately, "The two of you should have known you wouldn't be the only ones in the village."

I feel my jaw drop as Kakashi openly confirms everything Naruto and I have been guessing since our talk with Asuma, two days ago.

"Alright Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto cheers, pumping his fist in the air with characteristic enthusiasm, "I always looked up to you!"

"You've never looked up to me," snaps Kakashi dryly. "Don't try and tell me that's going to change now. Now, come on. I need details. I have to manage this little _situation_ you've gotten yourselves into."

Naruto groans as I gasp like a fish out of water. _Details?_

Kakashi continues, more gently "It would be a similar conversation if either one of you were in a relationship with…say, Sakura. Or Ino. As you can imagine, the situation is substantially more delicate because you're…well, because you're like me."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have personal lives or that you should sacrifice normalcy for the sake of duty when it can be prevented. I am saying, however, that you are young. You're only _sixteen_."

"He makes me work harder,"

"He makes me concentrate,"

"I love him"

"I… do too"

Kakashi looks at us with a small, bemused smile turning up the corners of his mask. "That's very sweet."

"Sweet?" Naruto shakes his head frantically, "I don't know if _sweet_ is the right word."

I shake my head vehemently.

We're given a chance to breathe as Kakashi continues to consider us for several long minutes. "There's one thing that's certain. The two of you make a good team."

Naruto flashes a smile in my direction before turning his attention back to his sensei, "Why's that?"

"It's simple. You're the number one hyperactive ninja and Shikamaru's a little more…" Kakashi glances up at me, "…laid back. You balance each other out. Also, Naruto tends to see the big picture while you, Shikamaru, can analyze all of the minute details."

Naruto looks completely awestruck by this new information, "Then why don't we get sent on more missions together, sensei? If we make such a great team and all."

"I've…advised Lady Tsunade against it. Through roundabout means, of course."

"Why?" I ask sharply.

Kakashi sighs, "Your behavior, _both_ of yours, is unpredictable at the moment. You're young and, as you say, in love. The potential for fatality is greater than you realize."

The last thing I want is a lecture about the dangers of love from a guy who basically lives like a monk. Saying this out loud, however, is not an option.

"Plus, things could get really awkward, really fast, if your hormones take over during a mission."

"Got it," Naruto groans and I make a face of disgust.

"That's not even a…" I stammer, "We would never…"

Kakashi wags a finger infuriatingly in our faces, "Never say never, Shikamaru. Take it from somebody who knows."

"If you think I can't _resist_ Naruto you are wrong, Kakashi sensei. Wrong!" I stamp my foot, feeling like a ridiculous, overgrown kid.

Kakashi looks at me in mild amusement, "Well, if you're really so sure, why don't we put it to the test? Naruto, come over here for a minute."

I watch as Naruto trots over to his sensei. Kakashi whispers something into Naruto's ear. I can't imagine what they're saying. I start to panic a little as I wonder what kind of test Kakashi could possibly have in store for me.

After a minute, Naruto begins to look excited, nodding his head up and down vigorously as Kakashi tells him his plan and _smiles_.

_How could Naruto do this to me?_ I ask myself as Naruto turns to face me with a decidedly mischievous grin on his face. _Oh no_. He raises his arms and forms a familiar-looking hand sign.

_What the hell is he going to do?_

"Sexy Jutsuu"


	22. A Narcotic Effect

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A Narcotic Effect

The embarrassing thing about passing out is that you're still wherever you were when it happened. Well, your body is anyway. The rest of you, the you that makes you _you_, meanwhile, hovers in a transient sleep state, leaving your body vulnerable to everything and _anything_ within the realm of human possibility.

It seems that Kakashi and Naruto value my self-respect just enough not to have taken me to the hospital. I would never live down the humiliation of a horde of medical ninja asking me why I _fainted_, Naruto snickering in the background all the while. At least, that's how it would go in my mind.

"He's coming around," Kakashi says quietly. It's the first thing I hear clearly, though it feels as if I've been lying her listening to them for ages. Their faces, like their voices and the rest of them, come into focus slowly. Naruto's quite blurry. Either that or he's still surrounded by those clouds he invoked earlier. I squint my eyes up at him to make absolutely sure before opening them up all the way. Luckily for me, it turn's out to be the former.

"W-what happened?" I ask them, still getting a hold of my surroundings, which seem to be swaying back and forth gently.

"You, like so many men before you, have been sucked into the vertex that is Naruto's sexy jutsu," Kakashi says in that vague way of his.

"I was so sexy you fainted," Naruto clarifies gleefully. I have to _focus_. I have to get the words together to tell Kakashi to kill Naruto or I'll never live this down.

One thing's for sure. After today, I will never underestimate Naruto, or his sheer animal magnetism, ever again. Nor will I criticize those who fall victim to his sexy jutsu, as I have done in the past. I can see now, how utterly unfair my remarks were.

"_No_," I say emphatically, as soon as I've regained the capacity for speech. "Not fair."

Naruto laughs loudly and I can actually feel the sting of each, individual sound wave. "You think it's fair that you're the only guy my old jutsu didn't work on?"

Well, I'm certainly not going to _argue_ with him when he's making sense. Clearly, it's some strange reaction caused by losing consciousness. A hallucination. _Right…_ Kakashi throws me a handkerchief and in lieu of answering, I wipe my face clumsily.

_Wow, there really is a lot of blood._ _Maybe the hospital wouldn't be so bad after all. Or just a nap…a nice, quiet…_

"Hey, hey now," Naruto catches the back of my head as I feel my body slipping closer to the ground. "Let me do that."

I try to voice my disapproval of this idea, but it's muffled as Naruto awkwardly blots my nose. I can't help but think of the last time we were in this exact position. Just when you think you've got life figured out, it goes and plays an ironic little stunt like this.

"Come on," Kakashi says with a putting-up-with-us sigh, "There's a stream over there. Let's get you cleaned up, Shikamaru. Then you can tell me more about how you're able to resist Naruto."

I was wrong and he knows it.

Despite my arrogance going into his little test, I wasn't able to resist Naruto and I know it's a bad sign. I couldn't resist him then and when he breaks it out later that night, I'm helpless again.

"I can only make it last for seven minutes. Is seven minutes enough for you?" he says suggestively, trailing a finger down the middle of my chest.

Is it just me or is his voice deeper? He definitely looks older and I wonder if this is what he'll actually look like five years from now or if it's just wishful thinking.

To put it loosely, this is the male equivalent of his stand-by jutsu, but it's so intrinsically _him_, unlike that horrible female doppelganger. He's more muscular, taller… even his hair's different. Still…

"Change back," I tell him after only three minutes.

"What?" Naruto vanishes and reappears as usual self, "Really?"

"Yeah," I tell him softly, trying to bring my brain back to normal speed. I can't help being flustered after being in the presence of such…

_Okay. Get a grip, Shikamaru_.

"It's… great and everything, but I think I prefer the old you for now. The old, young you, that is."

Iruka, Asuma and Kakashi are our mentors. They're our leaders; one might even call them our idols.

But after all three of them advise us to put some distance between ourselves, Naruto and I still don't give up our nightly routine. Logically, I know it's highly deceptive and no real way to live. How it feels, on the other hand, is completely different.

It's _thrilling_, even erotic, sneaking around with the one I love.

I know that's how Naruto feels too. I can tell by the way I can never peel myself away from him in the morning. He clings and clings, and I feel it too – this driving force in my bones, hurling me toward him as if the gravity between us has gone haywire.

I spend a majority, even most, of my time with Naruto. And being around Naruto so much has changed me; I'm sure of that, if nothing else. Since when do I seek out _excitement_?

It turns out I have a streak of masochism in me after all, courting Naruto like I am. _Ha_. More like courting danger. Or perhaps, simply, _trouble_.

"_Naruto_"

My back arches of its own accord and as our chests are pressed together I hear him exhale sharply. A stream of warm air rushes across my face, drying my eyes, which are soon rolling backward.

"W-when I do it, say… will you–" he stutters.

I feel a frustrated moan escape me, "Hurry up."

His head snaps up and the lust in his eyes scares me a little. His irises, which are usually such a carefree blue, are now almost navy.

"Are you _sure_?" he asks, gritting his teeth.

It's difficult to maneuver when we're wrapped up like this, but I pull both hands free, eventually, and grip the backs of his arms with force. "You're the one person I shouldn't have to tell this to. _Yes_, I'm sure."

I let my head fall back to the pillow when he nods tersely, complying at once.

"Naruto," I can feel my eyes tear up and it takes real effort to speak, "You're the… only thing I ever… fought for. Don't make me…"

A scream tears through my body, cutting of the rest. Naruto slaps his hand to my mouth belatedly, his eyes big and painfully concerned.

"N-Naruto," I stammer quietly against his palm. He shudders and his body jerks forward. "I love you."


	23. A Rude Awakening

A Rude Awakening

Naruto's cheeks are ruddy in the morning. His eyelids are droop over the visible crack of his irises, which are lazy and unfocused. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was drunk. I trace the line of a cheekbone up his face and stare down at his tranquil expression, feeling a profound sense of power. Somehow even that touch carries intimacy.

"I love you," Naruto whispers, tugging my hand to his mouth. I let him; his lips graze my fingers and they are _so_ soft. It's corny as hell, but I love him too. Naruto grins toothily and I feel the corners of my mouth lift because his smile is irresistible. "I remember this one time at the academy. It was a real boring, shit kind of day and Iruka sensei was in a bad mood because some show he liked was canceled or something."

He looks at me to comment and I shake my head, "It doesn't ring a bell."

"The bell! Right," he smiles, "Anyway, we were sitting together because –"

"You and Kiba were goofing off," I finish. I remember _that_ very clearly.

"Exactly!" He's talking faster now, his eyes brightening and widening with interest. It's a similar effect to the one I get from yanking back my curtains first thing in the morning or stepping into a cold shower. "And I said I wish the bell would ring. So _you _told me how to do it."

"How to rig the bell to ring early," I say slowly, recalling a very vague image of Naruto sitting beside me in class, sitting so close our elbows were almost touching.

"Do you remember how we pulled it off and got out of class over an hour early? I spent the entire afternoon trying to get Sakura to go to Ichiraku's with me."

_That's_ probably why I blacked it out. "Idiot," I pinch his nose and he snorts, smiling as well.

"I uv oo," he reminds me nasally.

I burst out laughing because this entire situation is ridiculous and _impossible_. Naruto, who used to spend his days (and sometimes nights) chasing after a girl like Sakura, is now here, _in bed_, with me. And I have just given him my virtue, so to speak. Oh yeah, and the knucklehead loves me.

"I think I fell in love with you a little that day," he says pensively. "You had this whole elaborate plan where we had to change the clock on the wall without Iruka noticing, but we had to do it slowly, in increments, so he wouldn't notice."

"We were lucky he didn't have his watch," I tell him humbly, my laughter dying down. I wonder where he's going with this and if he expects me to believe he was in love with me then, when he spent the rest of the day chasing _her_.

"No we weren't," he smiles superiorly, "He was getting his watch fixed because I broke it when I drenched him in water the day before - classic bucket on the door, crude but to the point. Not like your plan. _Your_ plan was genius."

I blush against my will, "So you fell in love with me because you thought I was a genius?"

"No. I mean, yeah I think you're a genius, but that's not why. It's because I was having a really crappy day. I was sad because it was around the time of year when the nine-tails…" his hand goes to his chest unconsciously, the palm pressing into his naked flesh. "You came up with this genius plan and it took my mind off everything else. And you did it for _me_."

"Oh" I look away, embarrassed but pleased, and my eyes land on the small clock at his bedside, "Your alarm didn't go off," I tell him dryly.

"Nah, I thought we could stay in today. It's good to have a day off training once in a while."

"But tomorrow is our day off," I say and then immediately regret pushing the subject. In my opinion, it would be good to have a week, no _two _weeks off. Or better yet, no work indefinitely. I like the sound of that.

"Sometimes it's nice to have two days off," he shrugs and burrows his head into the nook between my shoulder and the pillow. He doesn't see it, but an incredulous smile spreads over my face.

We spend the next two days like that, only getting up when absolutely necessary. Suddenly I don't mind being ridiculous and I couldn't care less about Kakashi's opinion or anyone else's for that matter. Naruto and I need each other. There's proof carved into the wall of my family's home, in the tiniest of letters. There's proof lying beside me, the sunlight playing in intricate patterns over his skin.

Late on the second day, Sakura shows up and I quickly hide in the closet, praying it's not Kiba or one of the Hyugas. The door to the closet cracks open and Naruto reaches in, tickling my ribs with his searching fingers.

"_Naruto_" I hiss, "Answer the door, you idiot."

"I need a shirt," he opens the door and I cram a t-shirt over his head, lovingly of course. He sighs happily as I help him pull it all the way on, my fingers lingering over his tightening abdomen. Then they rake through his hair, trying to make him look a little less… ravished.

He stumbles out of the room and down the hall and I close the closet door just as the front door opens. I can hear two voices – Naruto's and a girl…Sakura, I think. Well, hopefully he can get rid of her soon and then we can get back to it. The cramped closet smells heavily of Naruto and I find myself taking long breaths and drinking in that heavenly odor.

The peace doesn't last long; the voices floating down the hall begin to carry the jagged sting of anger. Their voices are becoming louder, _sharper_, but not quite understandable. Quick, light footsteps echo down the hall, two pairs, growing louder.

"Sakura, wait!"

I'm torn between making a run for it and staying where I am. In the end I opt for the latter because it gives me time to pull on a pair of Naruto's sweats before the closet door is practically ripped from it's hinges.

"I knew it!" Sakura roars. She's a vision of gnashing teeth and bright, angry eyes. I shrink back as far as I can go, knocking my crazy bone a good one and crying out in pain. _Why is it that we can't seem to go a few days without one of these confrontations?_

Naruto looms behind Sakura's shoulder, clearly unwilling to manhandle her (probably more out of fear than anything else), but wanting to get around her just the same.

"Sakura please, _please_ calm down," Naruto urges her, finally getting past her by going around to her other side. He stands between us with his arms out in an idiotic and undesired display of chivalry. "Leave Shikamaru out of it. You're mad at me."

"You're darn right I'm mad at you," Sakura snaps. Something about her expression or the way she puts her hands on her hips as she scowls into Naruto's face reminds me forcibly of Lady Tsunade, the most terrifying woman I have ever seen. She's even worse than my mom. "I'm your team member, Naruto. How could you not tell me something as important as this? Not to mention how irresponsible you're being. I had a nice, long talk with Kakashi and we agreed that your behavior is putting everyone at risk. And you're too young to be in a relationship like this. Not to mention the fact that Shikamaru is a _boy_ and one of your _best friends_."

Sakura wraps up her long-winded lecture with a very reproachful look, "Why didn't you tell me? I thought _we_ we're friends too."

"_Sakura_," Naruto whines plaintively, clearly not sure which accusation to respond to first. "We are friends. I just… I was going to tell you."

"I just can't believe this," she says, throwing her hands up in the air, "I guess I don't know either one of you as well as I thought. I thought _you_ liked Ino."

"No," I mumble, avoiding her glance.

"And where have the two of you been for the last two days?" Sakura adds, shaking a finger in Naruto's face, "You were both supposed to be training. Don't tell me you've been holed up here…" she trails off delicately, looking around the room, which is strewn with takeout containers and laundry in varying states of cleanliness.

"Look, don't worry about it," Naruto replies placating, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. And I'm sorry I missed training _one_ day." She frowns at him and he waves his hands as if to say 'anyway….' "It won't happen again. Come on, Sakura, I promise."

"Shikamaru?"

"It…won't happen again," I agree reluctantly. "Was that all?"

Sakura narrows her eyes at me, but doesn't show signs of attacking, so I ease up slightly. "Just one other thing. Naruto can I talk to you in the kitchen?"

"Sure…"

When they come back a few minutes later, I'm sitting on Naruto's bed in stupefied silence. Only now, thankfully, I'm wearing a shirt. It's much easier to face danger when you're not half naked. Naruto's face is bright red and Sakura is smiling smugly. _That can't be good._

"I think you're both idiots," Sakura informs us, "Well, I always thought _you_ were smart Shikamaru, but now I'm having doubts. You do realize that no one else our age is in a relationship, right? And do you know why?"

"Because it's against the rules," I say dully.

"Right. I would have thought that you of all people would care about that, Naruto. I never thought I'd see the day you let anything get in the way of being the best ninja you can be."

I wince, throwing a glance at Naruto, but he remains uncharacteristically silent. Whatever she said must have really spooked him. I know that he'll tell me as soon as she leaves, but I find that I don't really want to know.

"I'll see you tomorrow for training, Naruto," Sakura says, a little more kindly, "I think… well I guess it doesn't really matter what I think," she falters, looking at both of us in turn. "Try not to make me worry too much."

"Geez, Sakura," Naruto mutters, voicing my thoughts exactly, "I can take care of myself."

"But you're not just taking care of yourself. Other people depend on you," Sakura tells him with an air of finality. "As long as I've known you, you've taken that responsibility very seriously. Well… for the most part. I hope you aren't going to stop now."

"No way!" Naruto says emphatically.

"That's more like it," Sakura smiles wryly at him and turns to go, "I'm going to go. I'm supposed to meet Ino for lunch. So, I'll leave you to… well… see ya."

_Review? :) _


	24. Snake in the Grass

Thanks for reading, everybody, I really appreciate the comments! Keep 'em coming! :D

Snake in the Grass

As time passes, I slowly start to realize that I'm happy. The Leaf seems to know and it has taken a step back, events taking a turn for the better as there continues to be a distinct lack of trouble anywhere to be found. The weather even reflects the peace that has enveloped the village. There are a lot of blue skies to look up at, but I don't have a lot of free time and I spend most of it asleep or with Naruto. In those cases, I stare into the deep blue depths of his eyes. They are a perfect substitution for the heavens and, perhaps, even more divine.

It's quiet, but we can't let our guards down. Our teachers train us relentlessly whenever there is a shortage of decent missions, which has been the case over the past two months. We seem to be in an awkward position, in that regard. We're too young to handle anything _really_ difficult or dangerous, but we're clearly too old to spend our time, say, chasing down lost pets.

Unless those pets happen to be large, poisonous reptiles, that is.

"What kind of person keeps a viper as a pet, anyway?"

I shrug. I can't fault Neji for being short-tempered when we'd been searching for hours to no avail. Many times, I have considered giving up. I can't help but think searching for the exotic and dangerous pet of a visiting merchant is pointless. There's a good chance the snake is long gone and even if it's not, it's just one more dangerous creature in the forest surrounding our village. Besides, if the guy couldn't keep an eye on his things, it was only natural that they would go walkabout.

I'm not with Ino and Chouji today; Lady Tsunade has chosen a three-man squad specifically to deal with our little pest control situation. Neji, Sakura and, of course, me. Lucky me. My teammates were perfectly willing to sit this one out, as I would have been. However, I can see why Lady Tsunade acted as she did. She chose Neji to find the snake, me to subdue it and Sakura to treat anyone who might inadvertently be bitten. In that respect, we're the perfect team.

As we scan the surrounding area for any signs of the snake's presence, I see Sakura throw me yet another sidelong glance. _Why is she always interfering and meddling?_ I know she wants to speak to me about something (_Naruto_) and she's losing patience. If we don't get this mission over and done with, she might just spit out whatever she has to say in front of Neji, who is probably one of the only people who doesn't know about Naruto and me.

Not that he'd care, or anything. I'm not self-important enough to think that Neji Hyuga would be interested in our love lives. Still, it's nice to maintain at least a semblance of control over who knows and who doesn't.

"Let's look over here," I pick a random direction and move away from the other two, hoping that Sakura isn't cold enough to tell Neji in my absence. Not that he'd care, but it would still be embarrassing. The last time I checked Neji didn't exactly have a high opinion of Naruto, or me for that matter. Basically, the guy's a mystery. Not that I care.

"Nothing over there," Neji calls after a minute. I stop and reluctantly rejoin them, inwardly cursing his byakugan. How convenient – it seems to be working fine. So why have we been out here for _hours_ looking for a decent sized snake?

Neji glances at me like he'd read my mind, "The snake isn't anywhere in these woods," he says defiantly. I feel a little bad; it's not his fault we can't find it if we're looking in the wrong place. _Think, Shikamaru. Think like a snake._

Sakura lets out a blood-curdling scream and Neji and I whip around to see a giant bug sizing up her head, from on top of it. "Sorry," she says, flinging the bug away and smiling at us sheepishly. "It just surprised me, that's all."

"This is bad, you guys. We have a witness that specifically said they saw the snake going into the woods. There's a good chance it's out of our range now, which would put it at least ten miles away in almost any direction. On the other hand, we can't rule out the possibility that it's back in the village."

Sakura and Neji both nod, agreeing with my assessment of the situation. It's mind-boggling having my peers, who usually seem to enjoy nothing better than trampling over me, listening raptly to my every word. I've been made team leader before, almost consistently, mostly due to my even temper and that I seem to be the only young ninja around who bothers to plan ahead, but it never ceases to amaze me.

"So we go back?" Neji concludes. I nod and Sakura adds, "We should fan out and warn any villagers we see about the viper. I have a few vials of antidote I can hand out and they're making more back at the Leaf hospital, so we can pick that up when we get back."

"Good idea," I tell her, genuinely impressed. Not for the first time, I see why Sakura makes such a good student of medical ninjutsu. She truly has the wellbeing of ever citizen of the Leaf on her mind at all times. And in spite of her ridiculous obsession with Sasuke and other peoples' relationships, she does have a sharp mind.

"Standard procedure," she says, smiling modestly. I suddenly feel a little guilty about being so abrasive toward her. I'm an easy person to guilt and it's got me thinking I should let her ask me about Naruto or say whatever is on her mind. Even I have to admit, she clearly cares about us. Anyway, I was supposed to be letting go of everything, right? Letting people in? I've heard those words so many times before, usually in the midst of lectures, but they never carried any meaning until things became serious with Naruto.

"We're about two miles from the village," I say, gesturing to the tree line directly to our east, not that they need to be told where to go. "Let's meet up at the hospital in an hour."

"Got it," Sakura agrees quickly. Neji nods and runs off without a word. _Now there's a guy who takes his duty seriously_. I have to admire Neji, even after how angry he seemed during the Chunin exams. He wasn't exactly on my list of favorite people during his fight with Naruto, but it's been months since then. I don't know Neji very well but I respect him as a comrade. Whatever else he is, Neji is a decent person and a hard worker who cares about the Leaf.

"So…"

I turn to see Sakura still standing next to me. "Wasn't it _your_ plan to fan out?" I ask her. She smirks conspiratorially, which isn't a good sign in my book.

"It's really unlikely that we'd run into anyone all the way out here. Plus, Neji is the best one for this kind of thing." She's speaking casually, but there's a slightly rehearsed air about her speech. _Why would she send Neji off like that?_

"We should get back to the hospital. We're still on a mission, after all."

"I think we'll be okay for a few minutes," she says, smiling as if she knows I'm mostly trying to avoid being alone with her for any length of time. "But we can start back if you want."

I know I don't have a choice, so I decide to try and get this over with as quickly as possible. The last thing I need is for her to be talking my ear off the entire way back to the village. If she says anything overly personal, which she inevitably will, I'd probably run smack into a tree or something. Then I'd be going to the hospital for an entirely different reason.

"I had a little talk with Naruto," Sakura begins, responding to my silent request for brevity. "Did he tell you?"

"He didn't need to tell me. I saw you two, remember? I was _there_."

She ignores my rude response, "Did he tell you what we discussed?" When I don't answer, she continues, "I'll take that as a 'no'. Well let's just say there were a couple of questions I asked and a couple of answers he didn't know."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"As a medical ninja –"

"Stop right there!" I all but scream and Sakura's mouth clamps shut immediately. It's no wonder – I don't think I've ever really yelled at anyone, especially not a girl. Maybe my parents, but that's different somehow. I don't even know what she's going to say exactly, but I can't imagine this situation ending well. The less we say, the better.

"_Shikamaru_," she hisses, somehow communicating just as much of a warning by lowering her voice. "I am concerned about you. I am your _friend_. Remember when you saved me during the Chunin exams? I haven't repaid you yet."

"Forget about it," I tell her emphatically, waving my hands as if warding off invisible demons, "Seriously, keep the favor. It was Ino's idea."

"If you say so," Sakura says, not meaning it at all. _Women_. "I just want to make sure you're being safe and…careful in your relations with Naruto."

"I don't know you well enough to be having this conversation," I mutter dazedly, staring down at my feet and feeling vaguely nauseous. "You know I have parents of my own to talk to about this."

"But Naruto doesn't," she says soberly. Ah yes, that little fact. "And I doubt you'll be opening up to your parents anytime soon."

I realize she's right. It's that same fear again, that I'm leading a very confused, vulnerable boy down the path of evil. That I'm doing something shameful that should be kept a secret at all costs.

"I know," my voice is so quiet even I can barely hear it.

"He loves you," she catches my eye and I can't stop the corners of my mouth from twitching upward in a split-second display of my mutual affection for our mutual friend.

_I wonder… I wonder what Naruto's doing right now. Probably training. It sounds like a dream compared with the mess I've gotten myself into._

"Are you experiencing any pain?" Sakura asks abruptly.

"Is it_ that_ obvious?"

"I mean _physical _pain," she frowns and her expression tells me she thinks I'm being immature.

My cheeks burn red as I realize what she's referring to. "No. Now drop it," I tell her forcibly. She ignores me.

"I find that hard to believe," she says sternly, "I've noticed you limping around, don't think I haven't. There is such a thing as too much, you know?"

"What makes you think you have the right to talk to me about that?" I ask her angrily.

She sighs, but holds her ground, "I'm Naruto's closest friend. I have to make sure he's taking care of himself, but I thought Naruto would have been… I mean… nevermind." Sakura quickly muffles a series of giggles with a fake coughing fit. "The point is, he didn't know. Why they don't have a sex ed. class at the academy, I will never know."

"Well everything's fine on my end," I tell her without thinking. Then she starts giggling again and I blush intensely, realizing the inadvertent double meaning in my words.

"Well, I'm glad," she says delicately, "but since I know you're too embarrassed to tell me the truth…" Sakura tosses me a tube of what appears to be ointment.

"What is…?" I trail off, turning it over and reading the label. _Lube_? "You've got to be kidding me."

"You'll thank me later," Sakura says emphatically.

I just stare helplessly, completely thrown by this entire conversation. "The mission," I say hollowly. Then I clear my throat and pocket the tube of lube, zipping my pocket carefully, to avoid dropping it. Now there's something I don't want to have to explain. "We have to get back to the village."

From nearby, I suddenly hear a barely-stifled giggle. Sakura and I whip around to face the unknown threat, prepared to fight.

"Who's there?" Sakura calls out. The bushes in front of us rustle gently, and our eavesdropper steps into the clearing.

_Review? ;)_


	25. Worth a Try

Worth a Try

Neji steps out from behind a nearby clump of trees, but despite the fact that we both heard him laugh, his face is a mask of stoic indifference. _Nothing_ fazes this guy. In other words, he isn't anything like me.

_I'm_ a mess – sweating and nervous. I hope it's not going to be like this every time we tell someone or, as is usually the case, we slip up and someone finds out. I don't think I could take it.

"Oh no…" Sakura mumbles, her eyes darting back and forth between us, "I mean… sorry Neji."

Neji shrugs, looking unbothered, "I saw the two of you stop and I thought something might be wrong. I decided to check it out."

Well, clearly we've determined that there's nothing wrong, unless you count my being mortified half to death. First, Sakura corners me under the ridiculous pretense of giving medical advice and then Neji pops in, presumably just in time to see Sakura hand of tube of oil…of a personal nature.

"We should really get going," I say flatly, not looking at either one of them, "Um… was anyone around, Neji?"

"No. Can I ask you a personal question, Shikamaru?"

Ack. _My worst nightmare._ "I don't think you guys are taking this mission seriously." _I don't think they're taking me very seriously either._

Neji looks at me skeptically, "We all know this mission is a joke. That snake has to be long gone by now."

I try to form some sort of argument, but I have to admit he's right. My shoulder sag and I let out an exaggerated sigh, "I know it's a joke but as team leader I have to–"

"Oh, this is all my fault," Sakura says miserably. I throw a glare her way. _Yes it is._

"It's just one question," Neji insists, "It will only take a minute."

"Fine." If it were almost anyone other than Neji Hyuga, I probably would have told them to mind their own business, but he's not exactly an easy person to say "no" to. I think it's those big eyes of his or the way he never seems to blink. It's unnerving.

"What on earth could you possibly see," he smiles a little to himself, "in a hyperactive knucklehead like Naruto?"

The silence that greets these words is exceeding uncomfortable. I'm dumbfounded. It's not the first time someone's asked me that question or some variation, but I never would have thought Neji Hyuga would be the one asking it now.

"Let me get this straight," I say slowly, grappling with the very strange situation at hand, "Neither of you cares about the mission at all?" They both shake their heads. "Great. I actually miss Ino."

"Ha!" Sakura cuts in, waving her hand in front of her face dismissively, "Ino was how I found out in the first place. She tried to hold out but I wore her down. There's no way she could have ever kept a secret this big."

"It's not a _big_ secret," I say quickly. The last thing I need is for this to get blown out of proportion. Oh and Ino? I'll deal with _her_ later.

"Shikamaru?" Neji prompts. My eyes flash back to him. I think this is the most he's ever spoken to me in one go. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just curious. Ever since Lee told me…"

I feel my mouth go very dry suddenly and I have to clear my throat before saying, "Lee?"

"Yes, Lee," Neji replies, nonplussed, "He told me you were kissing right in front of him."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Sakura press a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Neji takes a step toward me, his palms up as if signifying that he meant me no harm. _What's that about? _I shift back and forth nervously. It's not like I'm insane, I'm just… well maybe being with Naruto does make me a little crazy, but not in the ranting lunatic sort of way. Not yet.

"I was just wondering because you see…" Neji trails off and looks over at Sakura as if remembering her presence. "Sakura would you mind if I spoke to Shikamaru alone?"

"Not at all," she answers lightly. I can see she's relieved that Neji found out because of our carelessness as opposed to her own. "I'll go back to the village and get the antidotes. Tell you what – I'll even start searching the village and see if I can get a few other people to search with me. I don't think _Naruto's_ busy."

"I don't know if he is or not," I tell her retreating back. When I look up, Neji's still got a tiny smile on his face.

"What?" I ask uncomfortably. Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember if I've _ever_ been alone with the guy for more than five minutes.

"I'm arrogant," he says after a long thoughtful pause, "I have too much faith in my ability to see through people. Their motivations, their _desires_…" I feel a chill shoot up my arms making the hairs stand upright. "I don't want to corner you – in fact, I had no intention of ever asking but… I just can't seem to help myself. I'm sure you understand."

The entire time Neji is saying this, he's moving closer but I'm frozen where I stand. We started out at opposite ends of this small clearing, but now we're less than a foot away.

"I understand _you_ to a point," Neji says softly. "Naruto's _very_ handsome. Those blue eyes of his are certainly dreamy." The last word is dripping in sarcasm. I examine the tops of my shoes, not sure whether it's an insult or not. "You're handsome too, Shikamaru."

My eyes dart up to examine the expression on his face – to see if he's serious or not. But he looks the same as always. Impassive, as always.

"I've always been impressed by your maturity. The others from your grade? Kiba, Chouji and _Naruto?_ They could never understand someone as intelligent as you."

"Hey they're my friends–"

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend, quite the opposite," Neji cuts across me, "I'd like to tell you something. I think you'll understand because you were recently in a similar position. Shikamaru…"

_No. Don't tell me._

"I like you," Neji finishes quietly and seriously, "I just wanted you to know you have prospects other than…well, other prospects."

For some reason his fingers curl around my elbows, first one and then the other, and he pulls me closer. _I don't understand_. _What's going on? What is happening?_ When I do nothing, Neji seems to take this as a sign of assent and brings his lips to mine in a gentle kiss.

I'm so surprised. I'm sure that's why I let him kiss me. After a few seconds he draws back mercifully, leaving me with the feeling of being suspended in midair. _So this is what Naruto must have been going through when I told him._

_This_ silence is worse. This silence is _palpable_.

"Neji," I croak as he leans forward, presumably to kiss me again.

"_Shikamaru,"_ he smiles again. This is a side of him I've never seen. His hand flies to the back of my neck and he's pulling me closer before I can react. "I've wanted to do this for a long time," Neji breathes, digging his fingers expertly into a tender spot above my collarbone, which makes me quiver. _Oh man. This guy really knows his way around – No. Stop it._

As Neji brings his lips to mine once more, I finally regain the ability to speak. "Wait," I mutter, turning my head. At the last second, he draws back, looking at me confusedly. "I'm… well, I'm with Naruto. You _know_ that."

He sighs, looking miffed now, "I thought as much."

"Then why did you _kiss_ me?"

"Don't you get it, Shikamaru? I like you. I had to try."

"You're braver than me," I tell him, genuinely meaning it, "It took me years to build up to telling Naruto."

"_Years?_" Neji asks, looking astonished. _Crap. Now I've gone and given something else personal away._

"Maybe not that long," I try to both sound and look indifferent as I take several belated steps back, from the guy. I hope it doesn't come off as rude, but then again, I'm not the one marching up to people and kissing them, especially when they're…involved with someone.

"Are you _sure_?"

I sigh, knowing what Neji is really asking. "Yeah," I force myself to make eye contact, "That's the way it is, I'm sorry."

"You and Naruto, huh?" Neji ponders this for a quiet minute, "I still don't see it."

I don't really know how to respond to that, so I change the subject, "I didn't know you were gay," I tell him. Despite the weirdness of Neji kissing me out of the blue, I feel a connection to him. Finally, here's someone my age that's also of the boy-and-boy mentality, besides Naruto. I can't stop myself from asking, "Do you know if anyone else in the village–"

"No," Neji shakes his head, "Not as far as I know, but then again, I wasn't sure about you."

"Yeah, I didn't know…" _damn I already said that, _"uh…yeah."

"Yes," Neji's expression has returned once more to the mask of impartiality I'm used to. "Well I guess we should be after this snake. Or should I call it a goose?"

I stare at him for several seconds and neither of us breaks the ponderous silence.

"Because it's a wild goose chase," Neji adds with a poker straight face.

"Got it"

In the end, we never do catch up with the snake, even when Naruto and Shino chip in and we scavenge everything within a ten-mile radius of the village. Our illustrious guest leaves in a huff and I'm left with yet another failed mission to my name.

And yet, as I lay in bed with Naruto later that night, I have a hard time worrying about my future success, or lack there of, as a ninja. The problems in my life, which are so much more personal to me, seem so much more pressing. I feel bad for not telling Naruto what happened, but I know it would only upset him. Or he would think it was hilarious. I'm really not sure which outcome is worse.

"Go to sleep," Naruto murmurs, pushing gently on my eyelids with the pads of his fingers.

"You first," but I can barely keep my eyes open. Despite the anxiety and the frustrating waste of an entire day, I feel very peaceful. "Unless you want to…"

"Oh, I want to," he replies heatedly, skimming his lips across my collarbone. When he reaches _that_ spot, the spot Neji had attended to earlier, I shudder. "Third time's a charm," he whispers suggestively.

"Three times in one night," I whisper back, my voice awed, "Your stamina is out of this world."

At the end of the night, the record remains unbroken and Naruto and I fall asleep as we are, wrapped around each other in his single bed. I love him so much, more than anything or anyone in the world, but a thought occurs to me right as I'm falling asleep and I can't suppress it quickly enough.

_That Neji Hyuga is one hell of a good kisser._


	26. A Heated Argument

And another chapter for you :) Thank you for reading, my lovely readers. WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A LEMON. I've never really written one so…. please tell me what you think! Review, please! If you like it, that's wonderful, but if you don't, please let me know why so I can improve for next time. K Thanks.

* * *

Yellow is the color of my true love's hair

Blue's the color of the sky

Mellow is the feeling that I get

In the morning, when we rise

_Colors, Donovan_

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A Heated Argument

It's summer now; the heat of each sweltering day seems more intense than the day before. It makes it difficult to move or think or concentrate. _Naruto_ makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning. And if you never get out of bed, how could you ever get anything done? Anything mentionable in public, anyway.

The humidity and Naruto's lack of a proper air conditioner have created an interesting visual effect – heat seems to be rising in actual waves, emanating mostly from the windows with their shoddy, paper-thin glass. But, he's attempting to make it up to me, and doing a pretty damn good job. I shiver as he drags his tongue down the center of my chest, experiencing an additional chill when he blows on my wet skin.

"_Naruto_" my breath hitches as Naruto moves lower, kissing my stomach and, for a few delicious seconds, nuzzling my body in the most naked display of affection. My head, which I've been straining to look at him, falls to the pillow with a muffled thud.

"What?" Naruto asks lazily, nursing the skin of my inner thighs with his tongue, repeating the procedure of licking and blowing. When I say nothing, I soon find him face-to-face with me, his brilliant blue eyes full of concern. "Shikamaru? Are you crying?"

"No!" I swear vehemently, but Naruto only smiles. I can't deny the silent tears making tracks down the tops of my cheeks and down to my chin. I can't seem to stop them either.

"Too much for you?" he whispers. I put my arms around him, embracing him and I feel a thrill race through me as Naruto groans at the contact. _"…Shikamaru."_

I can feel the beginnings of another erection, stirring against my own, and I kiss Naruto, who returns it with interest.

"Neji kissed me," I mumble, hoping to God he won't hear me. Two weeks has turned into far too much time and the secret has been eating away at me ever since that day in the forest. I feel Naruto's body tense.

"What did you…?" he asks tersely.

"Neji Hyuga kissed me," I tell him at a frantic pace, "He kissed me and he said he liked me and I didn't stop him and I didn't tell you."

"WHAT?" Naruto roars. _Why did I even bring this up? I'm the very definition of a masochist._ The only thing I can think of is getting everything off my chest before it drives me absolutely crazy. "He's…WHAT?"

"I'm sorry!" I yelp, burying my face in his chest. He doesn't pull away, which I take as a good sign, but he doesn't say anything either. The anger, which exploded out of him so suddenly, now has the quality of a simmering pot of water.

"When?" he asks me tersely, "_When_ did he kiss you?"

I brace myself for the explosion, "Two weeks ago, okay?" I confess. The next noise out of his mouth is a veritable growl and I clutch him agitatedly, pressing our sticky bodies together. Naruto hisses and yanks the back of my hair, hard enough to hurt. "_I'm sorry,_" I say again, barely above a whisper.

"I thought you wanted_ me_," Naruto hisses. If I'm lucky, he's also remembering that he has neighbors, most of whom are probably sleeping this early on a Saturday.

"I want you," I nuzzle his neck greedily and I feel his length once more, straining against me. He grabs my shoulders roughly and forces me down to the pillows, using all of his weight to pin me.

"Prove it,"

It takes some maneuvering, but I'm finally able to spread my legs under him, yielding to his hardening flesh. If my arms were free I would have wrapped them around his lithe back, stroking the tense, knotted muscles. _If _I could touch him, I would never stop. "_Please_." I feel his body shudder with need and his eyes, visible by the early morning sunlight, glitter with lust.

"_Shikamaru_," Naruto growls, "You better explain this Neji thing."

"No, Naruto," I can feel his fingers tightening around me; there will be bruises there tomorrow. "Later," I plead, feeling the blood rush out of my head, making me stupid. The combination of overwhelming heat and Naruto's wrath is making me lightheaded. His eyes are boring into mine, pinning me to the bed with as much force as his arms.

"_Now_," Naruto insists. One of his hands goes to the center of my chest, still pinioning me to his bed. The other disappears between my legs. "Tell me."

"N-Naruto!" my hips rock upward in response to his ministrations. His calloused hands stroke me relentlessly, causing waves of pleasure to wash over me. Caught up in those sensations, I barely notice when he flips me onto my stomach, but I definitely notice when he thrusts his fingers into the puckered flesh of my entrance. I let out a strangled moan.

"How was it?" Naruto demands. At the same time, his fingers light upon that sweet spot which causes me to scream hoarsely, my voice thankfully muffled by the pillow.

"Horrible," I choke, feeling smothered, "It was disgusting."

"Really?" he chuckles darkly. The sound is so disturbing that I snap my head back to glimpse him over my shoulder. "How did it make you feel?"

This time I'm completely honest. I gaze up at him lustily, feeling the faint drip of his sweat onto my prone body, "_Dirty_." When he thrusts into me, the force sends the bed into the wall with an echoing thud. At the same time, he exhales jaggedly, blowing a stream of cool air across the nape of my neck. In spite of the heat, I can sense goosebumps forming all over as my heart races madly. Naruto has to push my face into the pillow with both hands to stifle my scream of unadulterated pleasure.

Then he just _stops_.

I cringe and writhe as he sits on top of me. I turn my head to the side to look up at him with one eye, panting heavily. He no longer looks quite so fearsome, but there's an animalistic quality in his face that scares me. Several more tears spill from my eyes, caused by a chaotic mixture of pain and ecstasy.

"D-Don't st-stop," I beg him. His head droops forward, shoulders bowed, and he pulls out, only to thrust all the way back in. And again. And again. Naruto puts his hands under my knees and pushes them so they're bent underneath me. As he continues to thrust, this new position causes a deepening of sensation that has my eyes rolling back in my head. Pressed into the bed harder than ever, my head is spinning from lack of oxygen before long. But at least this way the mattress beneath me absorbs every aching moan and pitiful whine that escapes my lips.

I can tell when Naruto comes, because his entire body becomes as tense as a live wire for an instant and he lets out a long, low groan of satisfaction. Immediately afterward, I feel those deliciously familiar shockwaves racking my own body and causing me to tremble all over.

For several minutes we lay still, catching our breath. Naruto has collapsed on top of me and the weight of him is comforting. I'm half conscious by the time Naruto's breathing evens out and he pulls out. "Gnggh…" I mumble senselessly, rolling over to get a look at his expression. His eyes have softened, much to my relief. He strokes my cheek lazily with his thumb, brushing away the remnant of a tear and I lean into the touch wantonly, kissing his palm.

Naruto stares down at me with a strange expression on his face, somewhere between anger and amusement. "What is it?" I ask him, wrapping both of my hands around his and holding it to my cheek. He doesn't resist at all, perhaps too tired to work up the strength.

"I'm gonna kill Neji."


	27. The Art of Surrendering

_ Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I'd never really hold out on you for long. I'm really trying to make this story better and it helps so much to get your feedback. None of it is useless. Even if you just say you read it, I feel like I have a reason to keep writing because people are still reading. Thank you Bright-Kaori, Avid30, Storylover158, bgreenwivy, Quintessence of Gold, Charcoal Heart, Mikan0u, poisonpensumi, Orijinaru AI, naruto lover, anonymous, starfire200, Kashi1797, Chili loves you, and Ex10. If you read and don't review, don't worry about it, I hope you enjoy as well. Just know that your feedback and knowing people are reading is very nice. _

* * *

_At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice._

_Maya Angelou_

* * *

**The Art of Surrendering**

"Please, Naruto. Don't go. Come on, _please_," I'm standing between him and the door, knowing full well he could use the window if he wanted to and that he could probably get around me if he wanted to. I hope I won't have to resort to force, mostly because I'm not sure I'm up for it.

From just outside comes the stale prattle of rain falling from the gutters. There was a storm last night, as usually seems to be the case when Naruto and I get together.

"For the last time," Naruto says impatiently, wrestling for control of the doorknob. I try kissing his neck, hoping to distract him, "Mmm…Shikamaru. Shikamaru! I'm running on empty. I've got to get some food or I'm going to die!"

"I'll get the food," I reason, "All the ramen you can eat." _More like, all the ramen I can carry in my weakened condition._ Naruto laughs and brushes me off. I give him a deeply offended look. It would be only too easy to use my shadow possession. Chakra's one thing I've got plenty off, even if I lack energy, strength and the motivation to remain standing.

Naruto grumbles under his breath before answering, "You'll get my order wrong. And you'll go too slow!"

From the look he's giving me, I would think he was accusing me of kissing Neji again. Clearly, standing between Naruto and his ramen is a grave offense. "You _need_ to eat," he adds bossily.

"I'm not hungry," I protest, praying for my stomach not to growl. It doesn't.

We're a mess of limbs, sandwiched in the narrow hallway and leaning precariously against the door. If someone were to open it right now, we would probably both go toppling out. Luckily, no one does.

Things seem to be going pretty smoothly this morning. Maybe I should just let Naruto go on the assumption that he won't run into Neji on the way. But I can't guarantee that won't happen. I myself have run into Neji randomly six times over the past two weeks. And I was _avoiding _him. It's funny, but the more you try to stay away from someone, the more they seem to pop up.

"Shikamaru," Naruto says soberly. I don't know how he can talk, with his arm wedged in back of me and his right food levitating absurdly across the hall, foot braced on the opposing wall.

"What?" I grunt, struggling to wedge myself more firmly between him and the door.

"If you let me go," I'm shaking my head no before he can finish, "Yes. Yes, if you let me go I promise I won't make any other stops. I'll go straight to Ichiraku's, get the ramen and come home. And," he grins wolfishly; "I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back. I'll feed you miso until you're _satisfied_."

I can't argue with that and Naruto knows he has won. In a disagreement, sometimes one of the parties must yield to the other. Too bad it always seems to be me doing the yielding. _We might have to do something about that. _Naruto looks at me questioningly as my gaze wanders up and down his body. I've grown so used to seeing him naked; the clothes seem oddly out of place. It takes a minute, but we untangle our limbs and I stand to the side so he can reach the door. It's selfish, I know, but I'm a little peeved he's choosing ramen over me. I'm not surprised he can tell.

"Hey, I'll be back soon," he says soothingly, cupping his hand over my cheek.

"The hell you will, Naruto Uzumaki. I'm not sitting around here wondering if something happened to y-… well, if something happened. I don't care if I _do_ slow you down."

He takes this in his stride, even looking a little pleased. "You better just decide what you want now," Naruto warns me, "because I'm not waiting while you read the menu. We've been there a million times."

"_You_ have," I point out, "Anyway, relax. I'll get ramen with barbeque pork. Problem solved."

"That sounds good."

"It does, doesn't it?"

My stomach gives a loud, belated grumble and Naruto yanks the door open, laughing like a maniac. It can really be tiresome being around him, in more ways than one. I limp out of the door, turning to lock it behind me. It's become a habit to grab the key on my way out and let myself in at night. When I first started…well, living with Naruto, I was astounded to learn how often he had simply left the door to his home unlocked all day.I remember asking him if he wasn't worried he would be robbed. "Nah," Naruto had said casually, shrugging his shoulders, "I trust everyone in the Leaf."

That silenced me. I'd never really thought about it like that, having been raised to carefully guard my home and possessions. Naruto has a philosophy of life so simply profound that it comes across as stupid at times. The loveable fool. The truth is, I don't want to stay here because I don't want to let him out of my sight. As tired as I am, as bedraggled as I am, I force myself to straighten up and walk like a normal person. I've committed myself to going, so I'll do it. If Neji crosses our path, I want to be there to make sure things don't get out of hand. Naruto's reckless; I like to think things through.

"Last one," I tell Naruto firmly. We've snuck enough kisses on the way here. Now it's time to stand about a foot farther apart than we'd like and to put on our serious faces. If only I could stop Naruto from reaching over and touching me from time to time, the illusion would be complete.

"Friends do this," Naruto assures me, slinging his arm around my shoulder so that we look like a couple of contestants in a three-legged race. I remain silent, but inwardly I'm wondering if Naruto would feel the same way if it were Neji. Somehow I doubt it.

"You two again?" Teuchi says as way of a greeting. But, looking at his open, friendly face, even I can't read anything sinister in the comment.

"Yup!" Naruto says happily, hopping onto a stool. I sit beside him with a simple nod to Teuchi and his daughter. _What was her name again?_ I should know because Naruto talks about these two so often you would think they were family.

"How's your training?" the daughter asks, when she brings our meals over.

"Couldn't be better!" Naruto answers brightly. _Man, ramen is like crack for this kid._

"And you, Shikamaru?"

I'm startled that she knows my name since I've only been here a handful of times. I'm more of a barbeque guy myself, when I have the money and the time to eat out. And the incentive, for that matter. I mean, food is food as far as I'm concerned. "It's…good," I say slowly, swirling my soup. They both laugh and I take a quick bite so I can chalk the color in my cheeks up to the heat of the broth. It _is_ good. I can see why Naruto likes it here so much, both for the food and the company.

"That's good," she says, returning to the kitchen with one last smile. For the most part, we're left to enjoy our food. We dig into our matching pork ramen with gusto that makes Teuchi roll his eyes and mutter good-naturedly about noisy kids scaring away all the other customers. Our peaceful lunch remains undisturbed until we've both seen the bottom of three bowls.

"You boys we're sure hungry!"

Naruto burps and pats his stomach jovially. "You know it, old man. If it weren't for Ichikaru ramen, I don't think I'd make it."

Teuchi laughs appreciatively at this. Out of nowhere, I hear the sound of our voices being called.

"Naruto? Shikamaru?" Ino ducks gracefully under the booth flaps, coming to stand at my side. "I was just on my way to see you."

"Really?" Naruto asks, looking surprised.

"Well," Ino smiles, "I wanted to see you Shikamaru, but I knew you would be together." I glare pointedly at her, but Teuchi is no longer listening. I glance up to confirm it; he's gone back to the kitchen. Still, she shouldn't be shooting her mouth off like that about us in public. Or anywhere else for that matter. "Listen," she says, suddenly urgent, "I've got something important to tell you."

I look at her warily as Naruto fumes silently about being left out. "If it's anything to do with me and Naruto, you can–"

"It isn't," Ino interrupts, "God, Shikamaru. You can be so self-involved. It's about our last mission."

"_Oh_," Naruto nods.

"I am _not_ self-involved."

"Shikamaru!" My name is a constant refrain with her because I'm always doing something wrong in her eyes. But today I am too hot, it's too humid, and I'm worried about running into Neji to argue. If our confrontation with Ino proved anything, it was that peaceful moments could be interrupted in the blink of an eye. "Don't you get it? We might have a chance to redeem ourselves. That prisoner, the one that came out of nowhere, you remember him right?

"Sure," Naruto and I say in unison. Ino gives him a brief look. "Not talking to you," the look says. Naruto crosses his arms with an impatient huff. Usually such a display of childishness would make me laugh, but under these circumstances…

"He escaped," Ino announces dramatically, relishing our surprised reactions. "We're back on the case."

_Great_. "And is that official? I mean, Lady Tsunade asked us to do it?"

Ino's face takes on a slightly pink tint, "Well…no. Sakura overheard Lady Tsunade telling Shizune."

"All-right! When do we start?" Naruto asks excitedly. _What part of that sounded like we have the mission? Kid's got selective hearing._

"What do you want?" I look at Ino resignedly. Better to get this over with quickly; the longer we stay in town, the higher the probability we'll see Neji. I want to avoid _that_ as long as possible.

"To go see Lady Tsunade and demand another chance," Ino says determinedly. I sigh, looking sideways at Naruto. Ino's so eager to go that she doesn't even seem to care if Naruto butts in. Apparently, we all make compromises.

"Okay," I agree.

Ino squeals and claps her hands together, looking like herself ten years ago. _This is it, isn't it, Ino?_ I study my comrade's face somberly. _I'm going to have to start taking everything more seriously if I want to keep up with you and Chouji._ Despite my status as a Chunin level ninja, I'm way behind both of them in some ways. Especially in the giving-a-shit department.

I'd never point it out, because they'd both hate it, but their faces are mirror images of blonde-haired, blue-eyed excitement. I said I'd do it, so I will, though I want nothing more than to return to Naruto's apartment and sleep the rest of the day in his bed. "All-right, settle down," I tell them. Now, their faces are matching indignant frowns. I roll my eyes, "We better get our fourth."

"Chouji," Naruto says with a wicked grin.

"Chouji," Ino echoes, nodding at me.

We settle the bill and head off to our friend's house.


	28. Looking for Trouble

I know I'm biased, but you guys are The Best readers / reviewers on this entire site. Thank you for putting up with me while I bumble through this story. I'm working on rewrites as well as the next chapters so that's why they're taking longer right now. I promise I'll do my best to make it worth the wait. :D

Looking for Trouble

I can hear the sting of Naruto's knuckles against the wooden doors before he even raises his hand to knock.

"Wait," I say quickly. "It's Monday, right?"

All three of them turn to me, but Ino is the one to answer, rolling her eyes, "Of course it is. You wouldn't be out of bed yet if it weren't."

I clear my throat and continue with as much dignity as I can muster with Chouji and Naruto snickering behind their hands. "It's awfully _quiet_," I tell her, looking significantly down the hallway, which is devoid of a soul. "That's unusual considering it's past nine."

Ino's gaze follows mine down the deserted corridor and I see her eyes narrow, "That doesn't matter." She knocks firmly on the door and the sound is every bit as harrowing as I imagined. I've knocked on these doors myself, under far more innocent circumstances, and been rebuked soundly for the heinous crime of _doing my job_. Tsunade can be a handful, that's for sure. I wince as Ino knocks a second time. Still, there's no answer.

"Well if she's not here, she's not here," I say, relief washing over me. "Good work, team. Let's…oh."

I turn to leave, only to face Tsunade and Shizune, walking up the stairs with Tonton in tow.

"It's about time the three of you showed up," Tsunade says as way of greeting. Shizune smiles and mumbles hello from behind a towering stack of papers. She might be the only woman in the Leaf without a raging temper. Unless you count Hinata, anyway, and somehow no one ever seems to.

"Lady Tsunade, we'd like to talk to you about the escaped prisoner," Ino says, stepping past Chouji and shouldering me to the side. _Oh, so I'm not even worth walking around now, am I?_ I look over at Naruto with a "Did you see that?" expression on my face and he smiles sympathetically.

"Of course," Tsunade says approvingly, "Come in."

The four of us follow her meekly into the room with the exception of Naruto, who struts in like he owns the place. I'm not sure, I don't know, _why_ Tsunade can get under my skin like she does, but it's the same for most people in the Leaf as far as I can tell. She's got this aggressive streak that will come out at the strangest of times and in the most alarming of ways. When she's like this – calm, even pleasant - it only makes me wonder when she's going to snap next, because Tsunade losing her temper is as dependable as the sun rising in the morning. Our little group lines up in front of her with Naruto closest to the windows, next to me, and Ino and Chouji on my left.

"Well?" she asks expectantly, surveying us from behind her massive desk. Shizune, who has by now deposited her stack of paperwork somewhere in the room (it's impossible to tell where – every visible surface is covered in similar towering heaps) stands behind her, watching us with a kinder eye.

"Lady Hokage?" Chouji asks tentatively. Her gaze focuses on him and he clears his throat. Well, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who freezes up in her line of fire. "Were you expecting us or something?"

It's obvious that she was. The question is only a lead-in because what is _not_ obvious is why. Hadn't she said something about it being about time we showed up?"

"I was expecting most of you," her eyes land on Naruto who appears to be struggling with his silence. I can always tell when he wants to say something and is barely able to keep the words in. His lips are practically quivering with the effort of keeping his mouth closed.

Finally, the dam bursts, "What's going on, grandma?" Naruto roars. We all take several steps back in an attempt to protect our ears from the ensuing ruckus. "There's nobody here. It's completely deserted! And what's going on with that escaped prisoner?"

"Naruto!" Tsunade snaps. He folds his arms and lets out a huff of air. I'm careful to avoid Chouji's gaze because I know he'll be rolling his eyes about Naruto's childish behavior. "I don't recall assigning _your_ team to this mission."

"No, r-"

"_Naruto!"_

This time it sticks. Naruto is left staring moodily at her and I _know_ I'll be hearing about this later – about how she's unfair to him and always treating him like a kid. It makes me wonder about the poor soul Tsunade must complain to about him. Shizune, probably.

"As I was saying," she continues, giving Naruto one final, stern look to make sure he isn't going to erupt into speech again, "I understand why you want to be part of this mission, you little fool."

The four of us exchange somewhat bewildered glances. It isn't like Tsunade to give into Naruto's tantrums. It's so unlike her that I don't think it's ever happened before. _She's not… onto us, is she?_

"Well Kakashi's been busy training Sasuke, hasn't he?"

"Yeah," Naruto agrees noncommittally, "but what does that…?"

"And Sakura has been spending quite a bit of her time in the hospital working on _her_ training. So you feel left out, am I right?"

Naruto frowns thoughtfully and his gaze shifts over to me for a split second before he answers. "Hey granny, if we're going to talk about my feelings shouldn't I be lying down on a couch or something?"

"Naruto!" Tsunade roars at once, drowning out Chouji's laughter at Naruto's snarky comment and saving him from the trouble of trying to pass it off as a coughing fit. This time, the four of us jump even farther back. At this rate, we'll be in the hallway before we find out what happened.

"Um…Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asks nervously, "Shouldn't we tell them about the details of the mission?"

"Of course," she answers in a much calmer voice, "If we can proceed without any further _interruptions._" Thankfully, Naruto says nothing. "To address your first question, the village is quiet today because I've sent many of our high-level ninja to a specialized training program in the Land of Fire. It's something I've been meaning to…yes?"

I'm startled out of my thoughts when Ino elbows me in one and arm and Naruto the other. "Ow! I mean… is that really a good idea?" I bite my lip as soon as the words come out, fully aware at how rude they sound, but Tsunade only studies me. Apparently only Naruto has the ability to really get her riled up. I carefully rearrange my face to look bored and impartial. That's the ticket whenever you've got an audience with someone who could crush your balls in the palm of their hand – no sounds, no opinions, no expressions, nothing.

Tsunade sighs and refolds her hands, peering over her clasped fingers at us once more. "I know it seems risky, but it's very important. Trust me, Shikamaru, if I could avoid being without them I would. This training program is going to benefit our entire village. Unfortunately…"

Trailing off, she exchanges a slightly ominous look with Shizune.

"What's unfortunate?" Ino asks quickly.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Chouji adds, looking concerned.

"A report has just come through about the status of the escaped prisoner. As I'm sure you've heard by now, Kato broke out of our high security prison two days ago."

"_Kato_?"

"Yes, Naruto. Kato is the name of the escaped prisoner. Try to keep up, will you?" We all ignore the noise of indignation he makes. "There's reason to believe Kato was trying to get captured, that it was his plan from the very beginning. Let me _finish._" Tsunade holds up one hand to stop Naruto from commenting. "We've received intelligence that Kato might be planning on perusing our forces to the Land of Fire and infiltrating the training program."

It takes us a few seconds to process this. Well, everyone but Naruto. "Who told you that?" he asks skeptically, "It doesn't make any sense."

"Jiraya," Tsunade says simply.

"That old perv?" Naruto retorts sarcastically, "Is he really the guy you want to be receiving _intelligence_ from?"

Tsunade surprises us all by laughing, "You better not let him hear you say that."

"Lady Tsunade, there isn't any time to waste," Shizune reminds her mistress. Anxiety is evident in her voice and it causes Tsunade to sober up.

"Your mission is to follow our team to the Land of Fire and alert them to Kato's presence," she wraps up. "Any questions?"

I hate to put the spotlight back on myself but I have to ask, "How can we be sure he isn't sticking around? It would be a really good opportunity to wreck havoc on the village now that everyone's away."

"That's a chance we'll have to take. Don't worry about us. We'll have enough ninja here to take care of anything this Kato character throws at us." Tsunade tells me solemnly, "Now, the training camp is located on the border of the Land of Tea and the Land of Fire. It will take you two days to get there and I want you to leave as soon as possible."

"You can count on us," Ino says, "We'll leave right away."

"I know I can," Tsunade answers, favoring Ino with a warm smile. "I'll expect a report as soon as you get there. And Shikamaru? Could I speak to you alone for a second?"

I nod stiffly and remain where I am as the others leave. For a second it looks like Naruto is going to argue, but he shakes his head and walks out the door on Chouji's heels, mumbling under his breath.

"I think it goes without saying that you'll be the leader of this outfit," Tsunade says as soon as the door snaps closed, "My only concern, and I want you to be completely honest about this, is whether having Naruto along is going to cause problems."

_She knows._ "What do you mean?"

"Kakashi told me that you and Naruto have had problems getting along in the past," Tsunade says, looking at me as if I were trying to conceal something. Which, I guess, I am. "Is it going to be a problem?"

"I…no," I tell her flatly, trying to convince myself as well as her, "No problem whatsoever."

"Hmm…" Tsunade nods, confirming that the mission is a go now that our little Naruto problem is sorted out (as far as she's concerned, anyway). "Well there's one more thing before you go."

"Yes?" I ask, sure the worry is evident in my voice. _What is it now?_

"I want you to take Neji Hyuga."


End file.
